socc.  ^\z.r^i<^ 


Ex  Libris 

Henry  H.  Bucher,  Jr. 
Cat  Garlit  Bucher 


'J 


Waltry,  Photographer.         1 


TUOMAS   HEAZLE   I'AIiKE. 


MY  PERSONAL  EXPERIENCES 

I^f 

EQUATORIAL  AFRICA 

AS 

MEDICAL  OFFICER  OF  THE  EMIN  PASHA  RELIEF  EXPEDITION 

BY 

THOS.  HEAZLE  PARKE,  Hon.  D.C.L.  (Durh.) 

HON.  FELLOW  ROYAL  COLLEGE  OF  SURGEONS,  IRELAND;   FELLOW  KOTAL  SCOTTISH  GEOGRAPHICAL  SOCIEir  ; 

HON.    MEMBER    OF    THE    GEOGRAPHICAL    SOCIETIES    OF    BELGIUM    AND    ANTWERP  ; 

CORRESPONDING    MEMBER   OP   THE   TINESIDE   GEOGRAPHICAL   SOCIIiTY  : 

HON.    ASSOCIATE   OF  THE   ORDER  OF   THE   HOSPITAL   OF   ST.    JOHN   OF  JERUSALEM,    EIC,    ETC.  ; 

ARMY   MEDICAL   STAFF. 

Wiiih  #Lij|J  itub  nitmcr0it5  iUustrntions 


NEW  YORK 

CHAKLES     SCRIBNEE'S     SONS 

743-745    BROADWAY 

1891 

[All  Eights  Reserved] 


LONDON: 
PRINTED   BY  WILLIAM   CLOWES  AND   SONS,   Limited, 

STAMFORD   STREET   AND   CHAKISG   CROSS. 


TO 

MY   PAKENTS, 

MANY   OF    WHOSE   MOST   ANXIOUS   HOUKS 

HAVE   BEEN   ASSOCIATED 

WITH   THE   INTEEIOE   OF   THE   DARK   CONTINENT 
DIAKY 

KEPT    DURING    MY    WANDERINGS   IN   ITS   MAZES 


PllEFACE. 


The  following  pages  contain  the  journal  which  I  kept  during 
the  period  of  my  connection  with  the  Emin  Pasha  Belief 
Expedition.  Being  desirous  to  give  my  original  impressions 
of  persons  and  things,  I  have  made  no  change  whatever 
in  the  contents  of  my  African  note-books,  excepting  the 
necessary  ones  in  the  elementary  departments  of  orthography 
and  syntax.  I  have  inserted,  here  and  there,  a  few  paragraphs 
containing  my  views  on  the  principal  diseases  which  I  was 
called  upon  to  treat.  The  remainder  of  the  text  I  regard  as 
supplementary,  in  some  measure,  to  Mr.  Stanley's  volumes. 
Excepting  'Darkest  Africa,'  no  other  journal  of  the  entire 
course  of  the  expedition  has  been  published,  and  no  account 
of  our  experiences  at  Ipoto  and  Fort  Bodo  has  hitherto  seen 
the  light  in  any  shape. 

The  pressure  of  professional  duties  has  delayed  the  publica- 
tion longer  than  I  could  have  wished  :  the  history  of  the  diary 
itself  will,  I  trust,  be,  to  the  indulgent  reader,  some  slight 
excuse  for  its  many  shortcomings  in  style  and  arrangement. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  greater  part  of  my  professional  experience  has  been 
connected  with  the  continent  of  Africa.  My  commission  in 
the  Army  Medical  Staff  dates  from  February  5,  1881 ;  and — 
having  volunteered  for  active  service  in  the  Egyptian  cam- 
paign— I  left  England  in  the  September  of  the  following  year. 
I  was  first  stationed  at  Alexandria,  where  the  exigencies  of 
warfare,  and  the  calls  of  pressing  professional  duties,  did  not 
prevent  me  from  receiving  a  great  deal  of  hospitable  kindness 
and  attention  from  the  foreign  residents  of  that  venerable 
metropolis.  In  addition  to  the  necessarily  large  proportion  of 
bullet  wounds,  and  the  other  surgical  injuries  connected  with 
the  use  of  modern  weapons  of  destruction,  I  had  there  a  very 
large  medical  practice  in  the  treatment  of  malarial  fevers, 
gastro-intestinal  inflammations,  and  fevers  of  a  purely  enteric 
(typhoid)  type. 

In  addition  to  the  historical  and  classical  associations  con- 
nected with  Alexandria,  which  will  always  tend  to  make  it  so 
attractive  to  the  European  visitor,  the  cosmopolitan  character 
of  the  present  population  of  .  the  city  makes  it  extremely 
interesting  to  the  student  of  humanity.  A  large  centre,  in 
which  the  majority  of  the  intelligent  inhabitants  speak  at  least 
half  a  dozen  languages,  affords  peculiar  facilities  for  the  inter- 
change of  ideas  on  most  subjects  of  public  and  private  interest. 
The  former  predominance  of  French  influence  is  still  largely 
reflected  in  the  tone  of  polite  society  and  the  prevalence  of 
the  language  ;  and,  undoubtedly,  has  conferred  much  liveliness 
and  esjyrit  on  the  members  of  the  educated  classes.  This 
character  contrasts  forcibly  with  the  sleepy,  apathetic  exist- 
ence of  the  great  majority  of  the  natives,  who  are  under  the 
continuous  influence  of  hasheesh,  and  who  appear  too  lazy  to 
brush  away  the  flies  from  the  lids  of  the  single  eye  with  which 
so  large  a  proportion  of  the  population  is  provided.     One  of 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION. 

the  most  dispiriting  impressions  ^Yllicll  I  received  during  the 
early  days  of  my  residence  was  that  made  by  the  information 
that  this  monocuhir  character  is  artificially  given  to  the 
(male)  Egyptian  visage  in  order  to  avoid  the  dreaded  "  con- 
scription." 

The  enormous  preponderance  of  intestinal  diseases  of  every 
class,  which  is  so  characteristic  of  medical  jDractice  in  sub- 
tropical climates,  was  well  exemplified  in  my  Alexandrian — as 
indeed  it  was  in  the  rest  of  my  Egyptian — experience.  Of  the 
field-service  which  I  saw  during  this  earlier  period,  the  most 
important  event  was  the  surrender  of  Kafir  Dowar.  After 
the  Campaign  of  1882  I  received  the  Queen's  medal,  and  also 
the  Khedive's  star. 

Of  my  duties  in  Egypt  during  the  year  1883,  the  most 
important,  by  far,  were  those  connected  with  the  terrible  out- 
break of  cholera  and  its  50,000  victims.  During  the  height 
of  this  fearful  epidemic  600  natives  died  daily  at  Cairo  alone. 
At  this  time — during  the  months  of  July  and  August — I  was 
senior  medical  officer  in  the  cholera  camp  at  Hilouan,  near 
Cairo,  and  the  ravages  of  the  disease  were  testified  by  the 
record  that,  of  the  total  number  of  those  struck  down  by  the 
infection,  a  percentage  of  29  •  03  only  recovered.  My  recollec- 
tion of  this  period  is  also  permanently  associated  with  the 
fact  that  one  of  my  dearest  friends  in  Egyj)t,  Surgeon  C.  B. 
Lewis,  succumbed  to  an  attack  within  a  few  hours  of  the 
development  of  the  first  symptoms.  Another  sad  event  which 
occurred  at  this  time,  and  which  made  a  deep  impression  on 
all  who  had  been  brought  into  contact  with  her,  was  the 
lamented  death  of  Superintending  Sister  Jones.  As  this  lady 
was  driving  from  the  camp  to  the  hotel  for  luncheon,  the 
horse  bolted,  the  carriage  overturned,  and  she  was  dashed 
violently  to  the  ground.  The  base  of  the  skull  was  extensively 
fractured,  and  death  was  instantaneous. 

Towards  the  end  of  1883  I  returned  home,  and  was  stationed . 
at  Dundalk  (Ireland)  till  September  26,  1884,  when  I  ex- 
changed, and  volunteered  again  for  active  service,  so  as  to  join 
the  Nile  Expedition  for  the  relief  of  General  Gordon.  I 
arrived  in  Egypt  on  the  7th  of  October,  1881,  and  left  Cairo 
for  the  front  on  the  10th  of  the  same  month.  In  medical 
charge  of  the  Naval  Brigade,  under  Lord  Charles  Beresford,  I 
crossed  the  Bayuda  desert,  was  present  at  the  battles  of  Abu 


INTB  OD  UCTION.  ix 

Klea  and  Grubat,  and  the  attack  on  Metammcli.  Of  the 
deplorable  consequences  which  followed  the  delay  of  the 
steamers  at  Metammeh  from  January  21st  until  the  24th  I  do 
not  wish  to  speak  at  any  length,  although  it  will  always 
remain  the  central  fact  on  which  depended  the  sad  events  of 
the  fall  of  Khartoum  and  the  death  of  its  hero,  which  have 
spread  so  dark  a  shade  over  that  portion  of  contemporary 
British  history.  If  even  one  steamer  had  been  despatched  to 
Khartoum  on  the  21st  of  January,  1885,  I  believe  it  would 
have  been  the  means  of  saving  the  life  of  General  Gordon. 

Gordon  himself  indicated,  I  believe  with  accurate  judgment, 
what  should  have  been  done  to  save  Khartoum  and  himself, 
when  writing  on  the  previous  14th  of  December : — "  If  some 
effort  is  not  made  before  ten  days,  Khartoum  will  fall.  All  that 
is  absolutely  necessary  is  for  fifty  of  the  expeditionary  force  to 
get  on  board  a  steamer,  and  come  up  to  Halfeyeh,  and  thus  let 
their  presence  be  felt.  This  is  not  asking  too  much,  but  it 
must  happen  at  once,  or  it  will  (as  usual)  be  too  late."  The 
event  proved  the  prophetic  foresight  of  the  writer.  The 
importance  of  hastening  some  portion  of  the  force,  at  least, 
onwards  to  Khartoum  without  delay  was  evident  enough  then  ; 
but  it  has  struck  me  with  new  force  every  time  that  I  have 
heard  or  read  a  new  attack  made  on  ]\Ir.  Stanley  for  hurry- 
ing forward  with  his  advance  column  from  Yambuya.  The 
unflinching  determination  of  our  leader  to  sacrifice  all  minor 
considerations  to  the  attainment  of  the  one  great  object  of  our 
Expedition  has,  I  think,  been  fully  justified  by  the  result 
obtained. 

Of  the  iive  ofBcers  (including  myself)  who  crossed  the  Bayuda 
desert  with  Lord  Charles  Beresford :  two  were  killed,  one  was 
severely  wounded.  Lord  Beresford  himself  was  slightly  wounded 
in  the  hand  ;  I  had  the  good  fortune  to  be  the  only  one  who 
escaped  without  a  scratch.  At  the  close  of  the  campaign  I 
received  two  clasps  ("  Abuklea"  and  "  The  Nile  "). 

After  the  retirement  of  our  troops  from  Metammeh  I  was  in 
medical  charge  of  the  Guards — Camel  Corps — for  a  few  months ; 
and,  at  the  end  of  this  period,  accompanied  the  Corps  down  to 
Alexandria,  from  which  port  we  then  prepared  to  return  to 
England.  We  had  actually  got  on  board ;  and,  just  as  the 
vessel  was  moving  off,  I  received  orders  to  disembark,  and 
return  to  duty  at  Alexandria.     So  I  was  obliged  to  have  my 


X  INTRODUCTION. 

few  articles  of  baggage  hastily  brought  back  to  land,  and 
again  resume  duty  on  the  African  continent. 

I  was  now  growing  rather  weary  of  my  Egyptian  experi- 
ences, and  wishing  for  a  change  to  some  other  region.  Still, 
both  the  great  cities  of  the  land  of  the  Pharaohs  have  very 
many  social  and  other  attractions,  each  in  a  peculiar  line  of 
its  own.  Some  of  the  brightest  hours  of  my  life  had  been 
sj^ent  in  Alexandria  and  Cairo.  The  general  style  of  the  latter 
city  is  more  oriental.  It  is  rich  in  "  diplomatique "  circles, 
abounds  in  consuls-general  from  (apparently)  every  part  of  the 
civilised  world,  and  is  becoming  an  important  centre  for  tourists, 
as  well  as  a  health-resort  for  arthritic,  pulmonary,  and  neuras- 
thenic patients. 

I  had  settled  down  once  more  into  the  social  and  sporting 
life  of  Alexandria,  when  the  series  of  events  commenced  of 
which  the  details  are  given  in  the  following  pages. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM   ALEXANDRIA    TO   CAPE    TOWN. 

Meeting  with  Major  Barttelot  at  Alexandria,  who  furnishes  me  with  an 
introduction  to  Mr.  Stanley — An  unsuccessful  call  on  the  explorer 
— The  Alexandrian  Hunt  Club— Interview  with  Mr.  Stanley  at 
Cairo — Indefinite  leave  of  absence  granted  me  by  the  authorities — 
The  contract  of  engagement  for  the  Emin  Pasha  Relief  Expedition 
— Preparations  for  tlie  start — Farewell  banquet  at  the  Khedivial 
Club — My  servant  Mohammed — At  Zagazis  I  meet  Mr.  Stanley 
and  Dr.  Junker — Tel  Basta — Suez — Introduction  to  my  fellow- 
officers — Our  Nubian  soldiers — Amputation  of  Mohammed  Bond's 
finger — Embarkation  on  the  S.S.  Oriental  at  Aden — The  contin- 
gent of  Somalis — Description  of  Aden — A  case  of  small-pox — 
Vaccination  of  all  the  members  of  the  Expedition — Temperature  in 
the  Indian  Ocean — Gymnastics  of  the  flt/ing  fish — Eules  for  the 
preservation  of  health  in  the  Tropics — Bleached  bones  at  Lamu — 
Mombasa — Arrival  at  Zanzibar — Dr.  Hussey  introduces  me  to  the 
famous  Tippu-Tib  —  Our  Zanzibaris — We  embark  on  the  S.S. 
Madura — Free  fight  between  the  Soudanese  and  Zanzibaris — 
Mr.  Stanley  distributes  the  men  among  the  officers — Tippu-Tib  to 
be  ai^pointed  Governor  of  "Stanley  Falls" — Copy  of  "General 
Orders"  issued  by  Mr.  Stanley — the  men's  daily  rations — My 
professional  experiences  on  board  the  Madura  —  Small-pox  in 
Africa   .. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FROM   CAPE    TOWN   TO   LEOPOLDVILLE,   VIA   BANANA    POINT. 

Accident  to  one  of  Tippu-Tib's  Zanzibaris — Our  reception  at  Cape  Town 
— Letter  from  Surgeon-General  Faugh t — My  sick  patients  on  board 
ship — Conclusion  of  the  work  of  vaccination;  remarks  thereon — 
Packing  together  my  baggage  and  medicines  for  the  marcli — Deaths 
from  pneumonia  and  heat-apoplexy — We  arrive  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Congo — Zanzibari  burial  service — Banana  Point  Cemetery — 
The  Congo  River  at  Ponta  da  Lenha — Boma — Camp  at  Mataddi — 
A  recovery  from  brain  concussion — Carelessness  of  the  Zanzibaris 
as  regards  their  invalids — Some  cases  of  sunstroke — The  start  for 
Leopoldville — Crossing  the  Mposo  River — Palaballa  Mission  Station 
— The  march  to  Congo  la  Lemba — Fording  the  Bembezi  River — 


Xll  CONTENTS. 


llluess  of  Mr.  Stanley — Kind  entertainment  at  Banza-Manteka — I 
lose  my  waterproof  coat  in  crossing  the  Kwilu  River — Heavy  rains 
— Delays  caused  through  the  straggling  of  the  Zanzibari  carriers — 
Mutinous  attitude  of  our  Nubians  at  Lukun<iu  Station — Some 
rifles  missing — Fever  among  the  Somalis — We  bridge  the  Npoko 
Eiver — A  provoking  misadventure — Major  Barttelot  and  the  Sou- 
danese— The  African  elephant — Arrival  at  Lutete  Mission  Station 
— Ivory  caravans — A  native  market — By  the  aid  of  the  steel-boat 
Advcmce  we  cross  the  Inkissi  Eiver — An  unpleasant  drenching, 
causing  subsequent  illness — We  reach  Leopoldville — Engagement 
of  the  Upper  Congo  Eiver  steamers — Visits  and  presents  from  local 
chiefs — Major  Barttelot  and  I,  with  our  companies,  embark  on  the 
stern-wheeler  Stanley — Chikivanga  or  native  bread — Palavers  with 
native  chiefs  in  order  to  obtain  guides — Incidents  of  the  march  to 
Mswata — We  employ  our  time  by  cutting  wood  for  the  steamers  25 


CHAPTEE  III. 

THE    HIVER   JOUKXEY    FROM   MSWATA    TO   YAMBUYA. 

Arrival  of  the  steamers  at  Mswata — Kwamouth  Station — Tobacco 
cultivations — Elaborate  hair-dressing  of  the  men — Colour  of  the 
Kwa  Eiver — Stalking  game  in  the  early  morning — I  shoot  a  hippo 
— The  Stcmhy  steamer — We  reach  Bolobo — My  uncomfortable 
quarters  on  board  the  Henry  Seed — Lukolela  mission  station — 
Illness  of  Jameson  and  Nelson — Zanzibari  grievances — Profuse 
vegetation  on  the  Upper  Congo  banks — The  Mohammedan  fast  of 
Eamadan — Equator  Station — The  "  Black  Eiver  " — The  natives  of 
Uranga  village — Entertainment  at  Bangala  Station  —  Death  of 
Fathel  Mohammed — Our  Somalis  again  ill — Orchids  and  monkeys 
in  the  forest — Hostile  demonstration  at  Upoto — The  rite  of  "  blood 
brotherhood" — Stanley's  epithet,  "Bula  Matari" — Upoto  women 
— We  enter  the  cannibal  regions  of  the  Upper  Congo — Idols  and 
ornaments  of  the  natives — Collapse  of  the  Stanley  deck-houses — 
Grass  tire  adjoining  our  camp — The  burnt  village  near  Yalumbo — 
The  Aruwimi  Eiver — Stanley's  black  boy,  Baruti — Canoes  at 
Basoko — Warlike  attitude  of  the  natives — Arrival  at  Yambuya, 
where  we  land  by  stratagem — The  native  huts — Baruti  and  others 
desert  us,  returning  to  Basoko — Our  camp  is  placed  in  a  state  of 
defence — Mr.  Stanley's  future  plans — Manioc  fields  at  Yambuya — 
Major  Barttelot  arrives  with  the  Henry  Heed — Tippu-Tib's  station 
at  Stanley  Falls — Cutting  fire-wood  for  the  steamers — Our  fortified 
camp — Lieut.  Stairs  sick;  anxiety  regarding  his  condition — Pre- 
parations for  the  march  to  Lake  Albert  Nyanza     ..  ..  ..       -iO 


CHAPTEE  IV. 

rr.OM    YAMBUYA    TO    AVISIBBA. 

The  Advance  Column — Order  of  marching  through  the  forest — Good- 
bye to  Barttelot  and  Jameson^Brush  with  hostile  natives — We 
cut  our  way  through  the  bush — The  forest  a  conservatory  of 
malaria  —  Major  Barttelot's  force  at  Yambuya  camp — Wounds 
caused  by  poisoned  spikes  stuck  in  the  ground — Tedious  progress 


CONTENTS.  xi  ii 


PAGE 


through  the  forest — Zareeba  enclosures  for  defence  of  our  camps — 
Game  pits  and  elephant  tracks  in  the  forest — The  trees  and  their 
foliage — Annoying  obstacles  on  the  march — Capture  of  a  goat — 
We  launch  the  Advance  and  follow  the  course  of  the  river — The 
natives  and  sanitation — Deserted  villages — Ethnological  curiosities 
of  the  district — Aruwimi  Falls — An  army  of  ants — My  personal 
baggage — Different  forms  of  native  hut  construction — A  forsaken 
bal)y — Forest  tornado — Nelson  and  Jephson  down  with  fever — 
Further  casualties  through  poisoned  wooden  spikes — Mr.  Stanley 
takes  observations — A  man  shot  through  the  femoral  artery — 
Fording  swollen  rivers — Hornets'  nests  suspended  from  the  branches 
of  trees — Scarcity  of  food — We  meet  some  friendly  natives — Con- 
tinuous rows  with  our  cooks — A  hard  day's  work  with  the  advance 
guard — Abundance  of  game  in  the  forest — Strange  finds  in  the 
villages — Zanzibari  method  of  cooking  fowls — Ticks  and  "jiggers" 
— Fine  features  of  the  natives — Accident  to  our  biscuits — Heavy 
rains — We  buy  food  from  the  inhabitants  of  Mugwye's  village — 
Elephants'  tusks  used  for  native  seats — First  quadruped  meat  for  a 
month — Canoe  accidents  in  the  Aruwimi— Welcome  capture  of 
goats  by  Mr.  Stanley — Panga  Falls — Weak  state  of  our  men  from 
ulcers — We  forage  for  food — A  dead  man  prepared  for  burial — 
African  chickens — A  Zanzibari  shot  near  our  camp — Sharp  eugacce- 
ment  v;ith  the  natives  at  Avisibba — Lieutenant  Stairs  wounded 
by  a  poisoned  arrow — My  treatment  of  the  wound . .  . .  . .        71 


CHAPTER  V. 

FROM   AVISIBBA   TO   UGAKROWWa's   CAMP. 

Lieut.  Stairs'  condition — Further  heavy  rains — Gigantic  game-pits — 
Guided  by  a  native  we  are  led  out  of  our  way— Lost  in  the  forest 
— Saat  Tato  to  the  rescue — Effect  of  the  cold  and  wet  weather  on 
our  Zanzibaris — We  are  attacked  by  natives — Results  of  foraging 
against  orders — Some  cases  of  tetanus  among  the  men — Fire  in  a 
neighbouring  village;  anxiety  regarding  our  baggage — A  perfect 
ant-bed — I  arrive  at  Stanley's  camjD — Medical  inspection  of  the 
men — Meeting  with  the  river  column  at  the  junction  of  the  Nepoko 
and  Aruwimi — Our  camp  at  the  Falls — Amputation  of  Juma's  foot 
— Depressing  effect  on  the  men  of  perpetual  forest  marching — Our 
donkeys — The  last  box  of  biscuits  missing — Carrying  the  steel 
boat  Advance  around  the  cataract — My  surgical  dressings  box — 
An  Arab  salute — We  fall  in  with  Ugarrowwaand  his  ivory  hunters 
— Shocking  scene  in  a  village — Mr.  Stanley  develops  symptoms 
of  dysenter}' — Dangers  of  camping  near  malarious  marsh  or  swamp 
— Numerous  desertions  of  the  men,  taking  with  them  their  rifles 
and  ammunition — Scarcity  of  food — Progress  of  our  river  flotilla — 
Tremendous  downpour  of  rain — Another  Arab  encampment — State 
visit  paid  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  the  Chief — Contrast  between  our  men 
and  the  burly  Arabs    ,.  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ,.       93 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM   UGARROWWa's    TO   IPOTO. 

We  barter  with  the  Arabs  for  food — Our  sick  are  left  in  their  charge — 
Ugarrowwa  captures  three  deserters,  of  whom  we  make  examples 


CONTENTS. 


— Crossing  the  Lenda  river — Devastated  villages — Another  big 
cataract — Mr.  Stanley's  dog  Eandy  and  the  guinea  fowl — Giim 
starvation,  grim  despair  have  possession  of  us — Welcome  discovery 
of  some  plantain  trees — Providential  escape  of  Lieut.  Stairs  from 
an  elephant — Fair  specimen  of  a  Zanzibar!  fact' — We  buy  rice  from 
some  passing  Manyuema — The  forest  an  utter  wilderness — For- 
agers are  sent  back  to  the  banana  plantation — We  traverse  very 
rough  ground — Wadi  Khamis's  canoe — On  the  wrong  track:  our 
column  returns  to  the  Aruwimi — Junction  of  the  Ituri  and  Ihuri 
rivers — Mr.  Stanley  holds  a  shauri — Nelson  and  the  sick  are  left 
behind  in  camp — Unsuccessful  efforts  to  find  game  or  food — I  have 
another  attack  of  high  fever — Cakes  made  of  large  brown  beans — 
My  faithful  chief,  Feriizi  Ali,  wounded  by  savages — Our  second 
starvation  camp- — Capture  of  a  native  woman — liehani  deserts, 
taking  my  clothes  with  him — Jephson  arrives  in  camp  with  some 
Indian  corn — The  steel  boat  Advance — Critical  state  of  Feruzi  Ali 
— I  approach  the  Adamite  state  of  existence — We  hold  a  long 
shauri — Accident  to  men  while  collecting  mahunga  fruit — Mr. 
Stanley  shoots  his  donkey  and  distributes  the  flesh  amongst  us — 
Forest  fruits  our  only  means  of  sustenance — We  disturb  a  hornets' 
nest — My  boy  steals  some  of  my  Indian  corn — Arrival  at  the 
longed-for  Arab  village  of  Ipoto — Reception  by  the  Manyuema   . ,      110 


[CHAPTER  VII. 

EXPERIENCES   WITH   THE   MANYUEMA   AT   IPOTO. 

We  purchase  food  from  the  Arabs — Our  men  tormented  by  ticks — 
Vermin  in  the  village  huts — Punishment  of  Zanzibaris  for  stealing 
and  breach  of  discipline — Uledi  arrives  with  the  Advance — Mr. 
Stanley  makes  arrangements  for  Captain  Nelson's  relief — Our 
future  plans — The  ivory  hunters — Jephson  and  carriers  start  for 
Nelson's  camp,  while  Stanley  continues  the  march  to  Lake  Albert 
— I  am  left  at  Ipoto  with  twenty-eight  starved  Zanzibaris — Letter 
•  regarding  some  deserters— My  orders  from  Mr.  Staule)' — A  welcome 
goat — Covetousncss  of  the  Manyuema — My  occupation  of  repairing 
rifles — Jephson  and  Nelson  arrive  in  camp— Nelson  a  living  skele- 
ton— We  fail  to  obtain  food  from  the  wretched  Arabs — Jephson 
decides  to  follow  after  Stanley — I  write  a  letter  to  our  leader 
explaining  my  position  at  Ipoto — Attempts  to  steal  our  goods — 
My  hut  is  fired  by  the  Arabs — Ismailia's  pretended  innocence 
about  the  fire — Further  desertions  and  losses  of  rifles — Return  of 
Chief  Sangarnmeni  from  a  raiding  excursion — Our  various  methods 
of  obtaining  Ibod — Visit  to  Sangarameni — IMohanimcdau  customs 
— Chief  Khamis  returns  from  a  raiding  expedition — We  pay  an 
official  visit  to  the  chiefs;  Mr.  Stanley's  agreement  with  them 
regarding  food  not  carried  out — Ivory  and  slave  trade  in  Africa — 
Pest  of  disagreeable  insects — Illness  of  Chief  Khamisi — Starvation 
among  our  men — We  are  refused  ground  for  planting  corn  and 
beans — Chief  Ismailia  returns  with  his  banditti — My  field-glasses 
are  exchanged  for  food — Attempted  theft  of  a  box  of  ammunition 
— The  chiefs  still  starve  us — Nelson's  shocking  condition — Ismailia 
accepts  my  siig;;esliiin  that  we  should  all  be  "  friends"     ,.  ..      125 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

FURTHER   EXPERIENCKS   AT   IPOTO. 

PAGE 

The  Manyuema  hear  false  news  regarding  three  guides  supplied  to  Mr. 
Stanley,  whereby  our  lives  are  endangered — Letters  to  hand  from 
Stanley  and  Jephson — Tactics  of  the  chiefs — Troublesome  vermin 
— My  birthday — A  substantial  feast — "  Wake  "  in  memory  of  the 
three  lost  guides — Having  no  food,  Nelson  and  I  finish  the  re- 
mainder of  the  quinine  and  orange  wine — Marked  change  in  our 
appearance  and  general  behaviour — Evening  visits  of  the  Manyuema 
to  our  tents — \Yq  hold  a  shauri  with  the  chiefs  regarding  food 
supply — Theft  of  blankets  and  sleeping  things  from  our  tents — 
Punishment  of  the  Zanzibari  thieves — We  open  Emin  Pasha's 
bales,  and  exchange  the  soiled  goods  for  food — My  medical  fees 
paid  in  small  food  supplies — Sudden  generosity  of  the  chiefs — 
Nelson  very  feverish — Forest  game  and  Arab  crops — My  boy 
Sherif  steals  some  cartridges — Construction  of  a  new  village  by 
the  chief — Description  of  the  huts — I  am  laid  up  with  erysipelas — 
Dreadful  condition  of  Nelson — Loss  of  our  milch  goat — Nelson 
operates  on  me — An  offer  of  goats  in  return  for  rifles  declined  by 
us — Preparing  food  for  Christmas — Arrival  of  Kilonga  Longa's 
advance  guard — My  teut  is  besieged  by  an  army  of  ants — Improve- 
ment in  my  condition — Dish  made  from  pounded  ants — Ismailia's 
philanthropic  suggestion — Christmas  Day  spent  in  bed — Only 
eleven  of  our  Zanzibaris  alive — The  comic  side  of  our  position — 
Khamisi  comes  to  me  to  be  doctored — Difhculty  in  milking  our 
goat — Growth  of  our  corn  and  beans — The  chiefs  still  refuse  us 
food — Kilonga  Longa's  arrival  delayed  ..  ..  ..  ..      144 


CHAPTEE  IX. 

A   STUDY   OF   BACTERIOLOGY. 

The  village  of  Ipoto — Condition  of  Nelson  and  myself — We  talk  about 
the  causation  of  disease — Our  slumbers  are  disturbed  by  visions  of 
disease — Generators — Account  of  some  of  the  disease-iiroducing 
agents — Leeuwenhoek's  work  entitled  "  Arcana  Natura?  Detecta  " — 
The  discovery  of  microbes — M tiller's  investigations — The  old  term 
animalcula? — The  Bacillus  anthracis  found  by  Davaine — Recent 
progress  of  bacteriology — The  doctrine  of  Biogenesis — The  anutba 
— The  human  ovum — Bacteria — Theory  of  Beauchamp,  the  French 
scientist — Shapes  and  dimensions  of  microbes — Theory  of  the  bac- 
terial origin  of  disease — M.  Miquel's  calculations  regarding  bacteria 
— M.  Pasteur  and  microbe  cultivation — Active  mobility  of  bacteria 
— Reproduction  of  the  bacterium — Apjiearance  of  bacteria  in  the 
fluids  and  tissues  of  the  human  body — Professor  Koch  and  diseases 
of  bacterial  origin — Bacteria  and  the  tissues  of  the  animal  organism — 
Phagocytes  and  leucocytes — The  "  attenuation  of  the  virus  " — 
Professor  Toussaint  and  protective  inoculation — Forms  and  colours 
of  microbes — Piebald  state  of  our  bodies — Fresh  eggs  not  laid  in 
Africa — Theft  by  my  boy  Sherif — A  suitable  place  for  a  missionary 
station — Arrival  of  Kilonga  Longa  and  his  caravan — Also  some  of 
our  missing  Zanzibaris — A  nocturnal  thief — Capture  and  punishment 
of  Camaroni — Kilonga  Longa  and  other  chiefs  pay  us  a  state  visit 


CONTENTS. 


— Discussing  Mr.  Stanley's  agreement  regarding  food-supply — 
Nelson  and  I  are  driven  into  a  state  of  temporary  insanity  by  the 
itching — Heavy  rains  and  their  effect — Lack  of  goodnature  among 
the  Manyuema  and  our  Zanzibaris — My  poor  donkey  in  trouble — 
Another  column  of  ants — A  Manyuema  medicine-man — The 
Zanzibaris  apply  to  Kilonga  Longa  for  food — Massage — A  slave 
set  on  by  his  comrades  and  eaten — Arab  customs  practised  by 
the  Manyuema  . .  . .  . .  . .  , .  . .  . .     160 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA. 

Welcome  relief  by  Lieutenant  Stairs  from  our  miserable  existence  at 
Ipoto — We  part  from  Kilonga  Longa  and  the  Manyuema  on  the 
best  terms — Incidents  of  the  march  to  Fort  Bodo — Scenery  viewed 
from  Kilimani — Nelson  still  very  weak — Our  reception  by  Mr. 
Stanley — Description  of  Fort  Bodo — The  men  are  employed  road 
making — Arrival  of  the  Advance — Stairs  proceeds  to  Ugarrowwa's 
station  to  bring  up  the  invalids — Mr.  Stanley  is  taken  very  ill  with 
sub-acute  gastritis,  engrossing  all  ni}'  attention  —  The  castor 
oil  tree — Method  of  preparing  castor  oil  by  the  natives  and  Zanzi- 
baris— My  method  of  preparing  the  same — Progress  of  my  patient 
— Seven  Zanzibaris  come  in  from  Ipoto — Mr.  Stanley  continues  to 
improve — List  of  nutritive  medical  comforts  carried  with  us  from 
Yambuya — We  leave  Fort  Bodo  en  route  for  the  Albert  Nyanza, 
while  Nelson  and  the  invalids  are  left  behind — My  experiences  of 
ulcers  during  the  march  through  the  equatorial  forest — Hostile 
attitude  of  the  natives — Ferrying  the  column  across  the  Ituri  River 
— Emerging  from  the  forest,  thus  ending  my  twelve  months  of 
forest  existence — Native  tobacco — Fetteh,  our  interpreter,  wounded 
— The  natives  attack  us — Their  way  of  passing  the  alarm  from 
village  to  village — Peace  arranged — First  news  of  Emin  Pasha  or 
Malleju — Visit  from  Mazamboni,  the  chief  of  the  district — Jephson 
goes  through  the  rite  of  "  blood  brotherhood  "  with  Mazamboni — 
We  are  mistaken  for  Wara-Suru,  so  explaining  our  hostile  reception 
by  the  natives  . .  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..      190 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MEETING   WITH   EMIX   PASHA    AT   LAKE   ALBERT. 

Our  newly-made  friends,  the  Wahuma  and  Bavira  tribes — Emin's  letter 
to  Mr.  Stanley — A  scrap  of"  The  Times"  dated  April  27,  18S6 — 
Kabba  Rega's  treatment  of  Captain  Casati — Arrival  at  Chief 
Kavalli's  residence — Cattle  pestered  by  birds — Comparison  of  the 
Wahuma  herdsmen  ami  the  Bavira  hoemen — We  sight  a  snow- 
capped mountain — Plague  of  mosquitoes — Launch  of  the  Advance 
on  Lake  Albert — Jephson  embarks  in  her  and  goes  in  search  ot 
Emin  Pasha — Abundance  of  game  on  the  Lake  shores — Weapons 
and  musical  instruments  of  the  natives  of  the  plains — Industry 
and  ingenuity  of  the  Manyuema — Professional  rain-makers — Our 
cam])  at  Bundi — Emin's  steamers  sighted — Jephson  and  I  escort 
the  Pasha  to  the  cam]i — Excitement  of  the  Zanzibaris — Meeting 
between  Stanley  and  Emin — Dress  and  appearance  of  Emin  and 


CONTENTS.  xvii 


his  soldiers— Numerous  cases  of  eutozoa — Tlie  Pasha  doubtful  as  to 
leaving  his  province — He  presents  me  with  some  slippers  and  cotton 
cloth — Prevalence  of  fever  at  our  new  camp — Mabrnki  <iored  by  a 
buifalo — Rumours  regarding  Kabba  Rega — Daring  kites — Jephson 
to  accompany  Emin  to  his  province  and  read  the  Khedive's  orders 
— I  give  a  '  thought-reading '  entertainment  to  Emin's  people — ■ 
Mimosa  bush  plantations — The  Pasha's  lack  of  authority  over  his 
officers  and  men — Nubiambari,  a  Zanzibari,  missing — Unsuccessful 
attempt  to  find  him,  and  subsequent  brush  with  the  natives — The 
steamers  Khedive  and  Nyanza — The  etiology  of  malarial  fever- 
Further  presents  from  the  Pasha — Stanley  and  I  start  to  bring  up 
the  rear  column  from  Yambuya — Desertion  of  our  Mahdi  porters — 
Emin  sends  us  other  carriers— We  camp  at  Kavalli's — Dancing  in 
Africa — We  assist  Mazamboni  in  a  tribal  feud — Retreat  of  the 
enemy  on  our  apprach — The  victory  celebrated  by  a  war-dance — 
Food  supplies  from  Mazamboni — Condition  of  Fetteh,  our  inter- 
preter— A  further  instance  of  African  love  and  devotion — We  ford 
the  Ituri  River — Arrival  at  Fort  Bodo — Sickness  in  the  Fort — The 
last  day  of  the  Rammadau — Preparations  for  the  forest  march  to 
Yambuya  215 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LIFE   AT   FORT   BODO. 

I  accompany  Mr.  Stanley  to  Ipoto — The  Mahdi  men  suffer  from  "  guinea- 
worms" — My  second  meeting  with  Kilonga  Longa — Mr.  Stanley 
complains  of  the  bad  treatment  of  our  Zanzibaris — We  hold  an 
important  shauri  witli  the  chiefs  respecting  Mr.  Stanley's  agreement 
— 'Shocking  state  of  the  Manynema  slaves — Final  arrangements 
with  the  Manyuema — Mr.  Stanley's  entry  in  my  note-book  regard- 
ing the  rear  column,  and  future  instructions — Incidents  of  the 
return  journey  to  Fort  Bodo  with  the  loads  from  Ijooto — Scarcity 
of  food  at  Kilimaui — Arrival  at  the  Fort — Nelson  and  myself  are 
laid  up  with  fever — I  hold  a  post-mortem  examination  on  the 
body  of  Saadi  Baluzi,  who  had  previously  been  wounded  by  a 
poisoned  arrow — A  great  scaie  in  the  Fort — Our  agricultural 
pursuits — Police  duty  in  the  plantations — Thefts  by  dwarfs  of  onr 
bananas — Villages  of  the  dwarfs — Their  cunning — ^Discontent  and 
insurbordination  in  the  camp — Troublesome  ants — ^Destruction  and 
theft  in  our  plantations  by  elephants — Nelson  and  Stairs  down 
with  fever — Natives  in  our  tobacco  plantation — Our  Zanzibaris  arc 
useless  sentries — Food  getting  scarce — Terrible  sickness  in  the 
camp — Filthy  habits  of  the  Zanzibaris — The  circumcision  of  Kibori 
— Destruction  of  our  boots  and  clothes  by  rats — Our  men  laid  up 
with  ulcers — Return  of  my  old  complaints,  erysipelas  and  African 
fever — List  of  the  sick  in  camp  with  their  respective  diseases — Our 
Zanzibaris  are  great  schemers  and  malingerers — I  arrange  Nelson's 
and  Stairs'  medicine  chests — Further  2:)lundering  from  our  tobacco 
plot — My  boy  Muftah  a  terrible  liar — I  am  laid  up  with  inflamma- 
tion of  the  lymphatics — Death  of  Hanamri — We  kill  our  last  sheep 
— Anxiety  for  the  Pasha  and  Jephson's  arrival — Effects  of  a  violent 
tornado — Death  of  Khamis  Paragi — Zanzibari  custom  regarding 

their  sick  '.     240 

I 


XVlll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

LIFE  AT  FOKT  BODO. 

PAGE 

Anxiety  of  the  men  to  get  back  to  the  plains — Ali  Jumba's  proposals — 
We  hold  a  council,  and  agree  that  to  evacuate  the  lort  would  be 
fatal — The  mischief-making  clique  of  Zanzibaris — Recent  events  do 
not  improve  our  powers  of  mutual  forbearance — Scarcity  of  idols  in 
Central  Africa — Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  our  Zanzibaris  have  had 
ulcers — Mohammed  A.  and  Nubian  boy  lost  in  the  forest  whilst 
foraging — Their  jirobable  fate — Porridge  made  from  bananas — List 
of  European  provisions  for  the  officers  of  the  Expedition  taken  from 
Yambuya — Unsuccessful  food  expeditions — My  boy  captures  some 
fish :  flat  worms  in  the  same — Sufierings  of  the  Mahdi  men  from 
"guinea-worms":  their  description  and  growth — Annoyance  of 
rats  at  night-time — ^The  men's  latrine  at  the  Fort — Garden  ])lots — 
The  first  pumpkin  of  our  own  growth — The  ascaris  lumhricotdes — 
Result  of  our  want  of  exercise — Nelson,  Stairs  and  myself  down 
with  fe\er  and  its  accompanying  ailments — Our  beautiful  white 
teeth  due  to  the  lack  of  albuminous  I'ood — A  Zanzibari  tooth-brush 
—Thoughts  of  home— Stairs  ill  with  an  anthracoid  sore — Hopes  for 
Stanley's  early  arrival — Our  boys  capture  a  snake — Respective 
weights  of  Nel.-ou,  Stairs  and  myself  compared  with  former  records 
— Damage  by  elephants  to  our  plantation — Cooking  utensils  of  the 
natives — My  little  pigmy  woman  pays  great  attention  to  me — We 
enjoy  the  night  air — Condition  of  the  crops..  ..  ..  ..     205 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

LIFE   AT    FORT   BODO. 

No  signs  of  Emiu  and  Jephson's  arrival — One  of  our  donkeys  killed  for 
food — Ferragi  puts  cayenne  pepper  into  his  e^  es  in  order  to  avoid 
work — Sudden  death  of  Msongazi  followins  a  wound  by  a  poisoned 
arrow — Remarks  regarding  his  wound — My  doidvey  is  killed — I 
am  down  with  fever — Hamis  Pari's  abscess — The  right  place  to 
enable  one  to  appreciate  the  value  of  home  comforts — A  splendid 
soil  for  bacteria  hunting — Lack  of  European  provisions  for  over 
twelve  months^ — Misunderstanding  between  Nelson  and  Stairs — I 
change  my  house — My  boy  Muftah's  salary — Method  of  catching 
fisli :  peculiar  worms  in  the  same — Indistinct  vision,  one  of  the 
results  of  fever — Further  plots  of  the  men  to  g  t  to  Lake  Albert 
— Stairs  is  also  laid  up  with  fever — Ingratitude  of  our  Zanzibaris 
— Summary  of  the  food  supplied  to  Nelson  and  myself  at  Ipoto 
by  the  Manyuema — Nelson  a  genuine  good-natmed  fellow — Our 
experience  of  the  "Dark  Continent" — Twenty  days  of  bilious 
remittent  fever — We  talk  about  our  position — Stairs  a  great  favour- 
ite with  the  men — Bad  marksmanship  of  the  Zanzibaris — Our  corn 
crop — A  sixth  variety  of  "  potato  " — We  plant  corn  in  our  newly- 
prepared  ground — Nelson's  seedy  condition — I  deciile  to  remove  the 
arrow-head  from  Stairs' chest  .,  ..  ..  ..  .      liTU 

CHAPTER  XV. 

LIFE   AT   FORT   BODO. 

Successful  operation  on  Lieutenant  Stairs — Removal  of  the  arrow  head 
— Rochard's  division  of  wounds  complicated  by  the  introduction  of 


CONTENTS.  xix 

PACK 

toxic  substances— Poisoned  wounds  one  of  the  terrors  of  warfare — 
Tlie  efficacy  of  vegetable  arrow-poisons  questioned  by  some  of  the 
earlier  apostles  of  modern  surgery— My  experience  of  arrow-poisons 
— Native  dogs — Jephson's  delay  unaccountable — Stairs  progresses 
favourably  towards  recovery — Our  process  of  shaving — Stairs'  notes 
on  Mr.  Stanley's  tirst  arrival  at  the  Lake — Capture  of  two  young 
crocodiles — Another  poor  corn  crop — We  send  some  'benevolent' 
messengers  to  gather  bananas — Distribution  of  corn  among  the 
men — Welcome  additions  to  our  larder — ^I  apply  pure  carbolic  acid 
t(j  the  surfoce  (if  sloughing  ulcers — My  pigmy  woman  collects  witli 
me  the  necessary  plants  for  making  arrow-jioison — Superstition  in 
Africa  regarding  the  construction  of  a  small  hut — Approximate 
ages  of  the  white  members,  &c.,  of  the  Expedition — Process  of 
pounding  and  pieparing  our  corn— My  Monbuttu  pigmy  mixes  a 
specimen  of  arrow-poison — I  manufacture  a  gridiron  for  cooking 
purposes  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  .7     293 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    ARROW-POISON    OF   THE    PIGMIES. 

M}'^  first  African  essay  in  amateur  vivisection — Effect  of  the  arrow- 
poison  on  Lieutenant  Stairs'  dog — Method  of  burial  among  the 
natives — Anniversary  of  my  birthday — Report  on  the  arrow-poison 
of  the  pigmies  read  before  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great 
Britain :  Part  I.  Description  of  the  material ;  («)  The  poison  ; 
(Jb)  Preparation  of  the  poison ;  (c)  The  antidote.  Part  IL  Identi- 
fication of  the  material  by  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. — Some  of  the 
results  of  our  farming  at  Fort  Bodo  tabulated — Mischief  by 
elei^hants  in  our  banana  plantation — Ali  Jumba"s  reply  to  our 
cross-examination  about  the  same — Elementary  nature  of  our  diet 
— A  native  camp  discovered  in  the  plantation — Porridge  flour 
made  from  bananas — We  cut  down  our  rice  crop — Great  quantities 
ot  locusts — An  elephant's  gymnastic  feat — Wives  of  the  Wamliuttu 
and  Wasongora  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  .       .".04 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

LIFE    AT   FORT   BODO. 

Traps  for  catching  ants — Condiment  made  of  mixed  and  pressed  ants — 
My  boy  Mnftah  plays  further  tricks  on  me— Native  method  of 
catching  fish  in  the  river — Narcotic  effect  exercised  on  the  fish  by 
a  plant — A  substitute  for  table  salt  obtained  from  the  Fistia  Stra- 
tiotes — Muftah  runs  away  from  me  for  the  third  time — His  submis- 
sive return — Weight  of  Nelson,  Stairs,  and  myself — A  Zanzibari 
game  resembling  draughts — We  cut  our  rice  crop — Preimring  the 
rice  grain — We  divide  a  quantity  of  unhusked  rice — The  contiimed 
drought  detrimental  to  our  crops — By  a  simple  device  Stairs  finds 
the  true  north  and  also  ascertains  the  time  of  day — Stairs  and  my- 
self down  with  fever — No  excuse  for  Emin  Pasha's  non-appearance 
— Elephants  ])lunclerour  banana  plantation — We  manufacture  fairly 
serviceable  boots  for  ourselves,  after  the  fashion  of  Veldtschoons — 
Operation  of  removing  a  guinea- worm  from  one  of  the  Mahdi  men — 


XX  CONTENTS. 


PAGE 


Damage  by  rats— A  welcome  downpour  of  rain—  Nelson  treats  us 
to  some  porabi,  or  banana  wine — The  soldiers  of  Equatoria — Hopes 
for  Mr.  Stanley's  return — The  colour  of  our  corn — We  have  a 
greater  variety  of  food — B'mmg  a  la  carte    ..  324 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ARRIVAL  OF  THE  REAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO. 

Mr.  Stanley  up  to  date  in  his  marches — He  arrives  with  the  rear 
column — His  careworn  and  ragged  appearance—The  melancholy 
history  af  the  rear  column — Shocking  condition  of  the  men  with 
ulcers — A  terrible  period  of  starvation  experienced  by  them  a  few 
miles  from  the  Fort — Bonny  is  sent  back  for  some  loads — Nelson, 
Stairs,  and  myself,  discuss  the  story  of  the  wreck  of  the  rear 
column — After  burying  a  large  glass  bottle  Nelson  and  Bonny  de- 
stroy the  Fort— Commencement  of  our  third  march  to  Lake  Albert — 
Mr.  Stanley  makes  me  a  timely  present  of  some  blue  serge — Our 
Christmas  dinner — Accident  to  my  box  of  clothes  at  Banalya — Dis- 
tribution of  European  provisions  among  the  officers — Loss  of  Zanzi- 
baris  during  the  forest  march  from  arrow-wounds— Nelson  the  best 
cook  of  the  Expedition— Letters  brought  me  by  Bonny  from 
Yambuya— The  porterage  of  our  tents  and  other  baggage— Mr. 
Stanley  and  I  remodel  our  tents — Two  victims  to  the  horrors  of 
starvation — Bonny  rather  reserved  about  the  rear  column  business 
— My  New  Year  wishes — Review  of  the  past  eventful  year — A 
Nubian  wounded  by  natives — Difficult  task  of  removing  six  iron- 
headed  arrows  from  his  body — Some  Zanzibari  characteristics — 
Our  wounded  Nubian  doing  well — Dreadful  smell  from  the  huge 
gangrenous  ulcers — Manyuema  women  :  their  dress  and  extremely 
handsome  appearance — Another  instance  of  "  African  affection  " — 
We  camp  at  Mande — Stanley's  Starvation  Cnmp — Arrival  at  Mount 
Pisgali — We  halt  at  Kandekore 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

OUR   SICK   CAMP   AT   KAKDEKORE. 

We  form  a  "  Convalescent  Home"  for  the  sick  at  Kandekordon  the  borders 
of  the  plain — Mr.  Stanley  lectures  Stairs  and  myself  about  the 
men's  condition — Commencement  of  the  third  march  to  Lake  Albert 
■ — The  surroundings  of  our  hospital — We  build  new  huts — The  Zan- 
zibaris  recognize  the  value  of  pro))er  radical  treatment — The  invalids 
come  to  me  for  their  medicine — Failure  of  Uledi  to  find  the  sick 
who  had  been  left  on  the  road — Completion  of  our  huts — Effect  of 
recurring  nocturnal  chills — We  kill  some  goats  for  the  invalids' 
benefit — Satisfactory  progress  of  the  sick — Native  forms  of  ti'eating 
ulcers  employed  by  our  Zanzibaris — A  primitive  form  of  massage 
used  for  aching  limbs — Scarification  employed  for  headache  and 
synovitis — Demoralizing  effect  of  sickness  on  the  men — An  attack 
of  bilious  remittent  fever  prevents  my  attention  to  professional 
duties— Siiread  of  disease  caused  by  flies — Death  of  Mohammed 
Dean  from  ra]ii<l  gangrene  of  the  foot — Another  instance  of  Zanzi- 
bari "  truthfulness  " — 1  recover  from  my  fever  attack — The  last  of 


CONTENTS.  XXI 


my  chloroform — Theft  of  goats  by  a  Zanzibar!  boy — Some  cases  of 
gastro-intestinal  catarrh,  the  result  of  prolonged  exposure  to  all 
weathers — My  African  experience  of  this  latter  complaint,  alst)  of 
cholera  in  the  Egyjjtian  Soudan — Burroughs  &  Welcome's  tabloids, 
a  convenient  medicine — The  tabloid  system  should  be  adopted  on 
service  abroad  and  at  home  by  the  Army  Medical  Staff — A  di-ath 
from  dysentery — Mortality  at  our  camp  since  Mr.  Stan'ev's  de]>ar- 
ture     "..         ' ..  ..         '..  ..      3U1 


CHAPTP:E  XX. 

THE   STORY   OF   THE   REAR   COLUMN. 

Lieutenant  Stairs  tries  the  Maxim  machine  gun — Jamming  of  a  Gar- 
diner gun  at  the  battle  of  Abu  Klea — Usefulness  of  our  Win- 
chesters, compared  to  other  rifles — Memoranda  of  the  events  which 
occurred  at  Yambuya  as  obtained  by  me  from  Mr.  Bonny — 'J  he 
Major  makes  repeated  journeys  to  Stanley  Falls — Tippu-Tib's  pro- 
mised supi)ly  of  carriers — The  remnant  of  the  rear  column  found  by 
Mr.  Stanley  at  Banal y a — Unnecessary  delay  of  the  rear  column  in 
following  the  steps  of  the  advance  column — The  march  to  Baualya 
— Barttelot  shot  dead  by  a  Manyuema — Jameson  goes  down  the 
Congo  to  Bangala — Bonny  left  in  sole  command — My  comment  on 
the  foregoing  memoranda — A  feverish  locality — The  most  jiowerful 
enemy  in  Africa — A  foraging  party  disobeys  orders — I  exchange  a 
pair  of  shoes  for  a  coat — Filthy  condition  of  our  Manyuema — Ants 
are  good  scavengei's,  but  otherv/ise  a  terrible  annoyance — Numerical 
strength  of  the  Expedition  :  the  rear  column  almost  exterminated 
— Our  total  loss  of  men — Native  trick  of  catching  small  fish — 
Progress  of  our  sick  —  A  native  dwarf  scared  by  a  leopard  — 
Foraging  expeditions  for  goats  and  fowls — Arrival  of  Chief  Eashid 
and  men  to  escort  us  to  the  Lake — Mr.  Stanley  receives  letters 
from  Jephson  and  Emin  Pasha — Their  imprisonment  at  Dufile — 
Rebellion  in  the  Equatorial  Province — Dance  by  Chief  Katto  and 
his  men — We  quit  our  camp  at  Kandekore  and  arrive  at  a  village 
on  the  plains — Reception  at  Mazamboni's  —  Description  of  the 
village  and  its  surroundings — Kabba  Rega's  raids  on  the  Wazani- 
boni — Familiarity  of  the  peo])le — The  cattle  of  the  plains — We 
camp  at  Mpinga's  village       ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..     359 


CHAPTER  XXL 

LIFE   AT   KAVALLT   CAMP. 

Meeting  with  Emin  Pasha  and  his  officers  at  Kavalli's — Ferida,  the 
Pasha's  daughter — Chief  Kavalli's  handsome  appearance  —  The 
Wahuma  are  the  finest  people  we  have  seen  in  Africa — Their  dogs 
of  the  pariah  type — Their  liking  for  bangles  and  other  ornaments — 
Bonny  brings  false  news  of  the  capture  of  Katonza's  village  by 
Kabba  Rega — ICnormous  baggage  of  Emin's  followers— Physique 
and  appearance  of  his  officers — Mrima  commits  suicide  in  his  hut 
from  despondency—Our  water  reservoirs  in  case  of  fire — We 
have  our  suspicions  of  treachery  among  Emin's  people  in  the  camp 
— The  roll-call — Successful  raid  against  a  hostile  chief — I  iline 
with  Emin  Pasha — An  epidemic  of  diarrhoea — Nelson  and  others 


XXll  CONTENTS. 


ill  with  fever — The  Zanzibaris  wash  thcniKclvcs  in  local  still- 
pocls — Mr.  Stanley  ascertains  the  altitude  of  our  camp — Fever 
more  prevalent  here  than  in  the  damp  forest — Useless  baggage — A 
case  of  typhoid  fever — Deaths  at  Yambuya  mainly  attributed  U>  the 
injudicious  use  of  manioc — 'i'he  two  kinds  of  manioc  in  African 
regions — Illness  of  Mr,  Stanley — I  escort  a  party  of  carriers  to 
Emin's  Lake  Shore  Camp — Thorny  mimosa  bushes — The  return 
journey  with  baggage — Sensitiveness  of  the  Pasha  regarding  his 
people — Refusal  of  the  men  to  fetch  any  more  baggage  from  the 
Lake — Mr.  Stanley  calls  a  parade  and  makes  examples  of  the  ring- 
leaders of  the  mutiny — Emin's  early  experiences  at  Constantinoi)le 
— His  Excellency  cannot  make  up  his  mind  as  to  leaving  Equa- 
toria — Sickness  caused  through  drinking  stagnant  water  —  My 
experiences  of  the  quality  and  quantity  or  water  in  Equatorial 
Africa — Division  of  water-supply  into  current  and  stationary 
waters — Rain-water  as  a  drink  to  be  used  with  caution — The  qua- 
lities and  components  of  the  waters  of  streams  and  rivers — Modifica- 
tion of  climate  in  the  neighbourhood  of  large  rivers — Impurity  of 
streams  with  slow  currents — Stagnant  waters  of  pools  and  marshes 
have  special  opportunities  of  developing  impurities — Hassan  Bakari 
attempts  to  siioot  himself — Improvement  in  all  our  conditions — 
Audacity  of  kites — Wooden  disc  inserted  in  the  upper  lips  of  the 
native  women — The  Pasha  a  very  keen  collector — The  manufacture 
of  "  poteen  "-like  spirit  by  his  people — Apphcationsto  me  for  advice 
and  medicine — Irritating  delay  :  April  10  fixed  for  starting  to  the 
Coast — Capture  of  cattle  belonging  to  a  hostile  tribe — Coffee  and 
cigarettes  with  the  Pasha — Some  eccentricities  of  General  Gordon 
related  by  him — I  remove  another  arrow-head  from  Fathel  Mullah 
— People  with  enlarged  spleens /ever-proo/"  in  Africa 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PUEPARATIONS   FOR   THE    RETURN   JOURNEY   TO   ZANZIBAR. 

steamer  arrives  from  Mswa  Station  with  some  of  Emin's  peoj^le — 
Letter  from  the  rebel  officers — Our  discussion  of  the  same — We 
decide  to  wait  until  April  10  for  Emin's  people — Treachery  sus- 
pected in  the  camj) — Emin's  clerks  are  almost  all  bad  characters — 
Some  newcomers  arrive  at  Mazamboni's — Mr.  Stanley's  proposal  to 
Emin  Pasha  regarding  the  Congo  Free  State — Emin  presents  me 
with  a  box  of  medicine — We  obtain  another  sight  of  the  great  snow 
mountain  which  directly  contradicts  Herodotus'  view — The  Mon- 
buttu  tribe  inoculate  with  the  virus  of  syphilis — Stairs  makes  the 
first  move  homewards  with  some  loads — Arranging  the  loads  among 
the  men — Bark  cloth  suspended  from  the  belts  of  the  Wahumaand 
representing  tails — Haunts  and  habits  of  the  dwarfs — Their  different 
ways  of  catching  game — An  elephant  trap — Cannibalism  not  prac- 
tised by  the  dwaifs — Emin  Pasha  and  myself  take  careful  measure- 
ments of  the  various  dimensions  of  four  specimens  of  the  pigmies — 
Mr.  Stanley  acts  as  mediator  between  Mohammed  Eft'endi  and  his 
wife — Circumcision  practised  by  the  Monbuttu  tribe — Syphilis  in 
the  Pasha's  Province — His  men  suffer  from  enlarged  spleens — 
Length  of  an  Arab  wedding  festival — Nelson  and  I  arrange  with 
the  Pasha  for  a  cook — My  experience  regarding  a  cook  with  the 
Guards'  Camel  Corps — Our  dwarfs  since  leaving  the  forest  are 
gradually  pining  away — Attenq>t  of  the  Pasha's  pci>ple  to  steal 


CONTENTS.  xxiii 


some  Zanzibari  rifles — Mr.  Stanley  sdunfls  a  pieneral  muster  and 
address;;s  the  men — His  reasons  torso  doing — I  compare  his  version 
of  the  incident  with  that  of  the  Pasha's — Circumstances  render 
Emin's  return  to  the  Province  impossible — Total  number  of  Emin's 
people :  also  loads — Dance  by  Wahuma  women  outside  Mr.  Stanley's 
tent — Contest  between  Omar,  the  Nubian  chief,  and  five  Zanzibaris 
— We  institute  some  athletic  sports  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..     392 


CHAPTEE  XXIII. 

TREASON   AMONG   EMIn's   PEOPLE. 

We  commence  our  journey  to  the  coast — Nelson  sets  fire  to  the  huts — 
Perfume  of  my  Monbuttu  woman — 'Failure  of  native  carriers  to 
perform  their  contract — We  obtain  fresh  carrieis— Laziness  of 
Emin's  pcople^Shukri  Agha,  commandant  of  Mswa  Station  over- 
takes us — ilari,  my  factotum — Lack  of  hair  on  the  faces  of  natives 
— Mr.  Stanley  ill  for  the  second  time  with  a  violent  attack  of  inter- 
mittent fever — My  anxiety  about  him — The  Pasha  assists  in  the 
treatment  of  my  patient — My  suj'ply  of  morphine  tabloids  almost 
exhausted — Method  of  making  bread  by  Emin's  people — Nelson  an 
excellent  cook — Mr.  Stanley's  condition  and  diet — I  am  laid  up 
with  bilioui  remittent  fever — Our  leader  suffers  a  relapse — Illness 
of  all  the  white  officers  of  the  expedition  owing  to  bad  camping- 
ground — We  change  our  camj^i — Emin  assists  me  in  my  i:)rofessional 
duties— Stairs  and  some  men  forage  for  food- — -Mazamboni's  stingi- 
ness— Eecovery  of  Mr.  Stanley — Heavy  rains — Weights  of  Stanley, 
Nelson,  and  myself — A  native  gives  us  some  information  regard- 
ing Ruwenzori — I  manufacture  some  candles  —  Annoyance  by 
hyajnas — Capture  of  Rehan  and  other  deserters  from  the  Pasha's 
cam|3 — We  hold  a  board  of  inquiry  into  Rehan's  case,  and  find  him 
guilty — Execution  of  Rehan — Distribution  of  rifles  and  ammuni- 
tion to  the  men — Letter  from  Selim  Bey  at  Tunjiuru — Discussion  of 
the  same — We  intercept  letters  from  the  Pasha's  people  to  the 
rebel  officers  in  Equatoria       ,.  ..  ..  .,  ,.  ..     408 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

FKUM    mazamboni's   TO   THE   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA. 

Our  departure  from  Mazamboni's — Mr.  Stanley  much  impi-oved  in 
health — We  bury  some  surplus  Remington  ammunition — Ibrahim 
Eftendi  and  other  Egyptians  return  to  Equatoria — Some  further 
desertions — Jephson  seriously  ill  with  fever — Dispersion  of  a  party 
of  Kabba  Rega's  raiders — Their  tower-muskets — The  extremity 
of  Lake  Albert  and  junction  of  the  Semliki  River — Scarcity  of 
natives  through  continual  raids  by  the  Manyuema  and  Wara-Sui-a 
— "  The  Mountains  of  the  Moon  " — Our  column  on  the  march  is 
an  imposing  sight — Mr.  Stanley  and  Lieut.  Stairs  join  my  fever 
patients — Saat  Tato  captures  a  canoe,  by  the  aid  of  which  we  cross 
the  Semliki  River — Hostile  attitude  of  the  natives — [  go  through 
the  rite  of  blood  brotherhood  with  Chief  Bakamuggar — Condition 
of  the  sick  officers — The  Wara-Sura  attack  us  while  transporting 
the  expedition  across  the  Semliki — Heavy  rains — Death  of  two  of 
our  Manyuema — Enormous  banana  [ilantations  -Pombe  made  from 


XXIV  CONTENTS. 


bauauas — We  obtain  a  beautiful  view  of  the  snow-clad  peaks  of 
the  Euwenzori  ranp;e — I  studj^  botany  with  the  Pasha — Encounter 
with  a  party  of  Kilonga  Lonaa's  Manyuema— Stairs'  boy  killed  and 
some  Zanzibaris  wounded^ — My  treatment  of  four  of  the  latter — 
The  Manyuema  recognise  their  mistake  too  late — Slow  progress  of 
our  column — Jephson's  condition  causes  me  great  anxiety — Lieut. 
Stairs'  ascent  of  Euwenzori — I  am  laid  up  with  African  fever — 
More  tricks  by  my  boy  Muftah  —  The  Pasha  and  Mr.  Stanley 
fall  out — First  siglit  of  the  Albert  Edward  Nyanza — The  Salt 
Lake  of  Mkiyo — Slabs  of  saline  deposit  at  the  bottom  of  the  Lake 
— Dimensions  of  the  Salt  Lake — Colour  of  its  waters — Our  encamp- 
ment at  Katwe — Analysis  by  Sir  Charles  Cameron  of  Dublin,  of 
a  specimen  of  the  Salt  Lake  water — We  enter  the  territory  of  Uny- 
ampaka — Cattle  raid  by  the  Wara-Sura  on  Irangara  Island — The 
first  attempt  at  al  fresco  painting  seen  by  me  in  Africa — The 
*  Toro '  hills — Kabba  Eega's  bodyguard,  called  Wara-Sum,  at- 
tack us,  but  are  put  to  flight — We  come  upon  two  of  their  deserted 
camps — Our  Wahuma  guides  leave  us — I'he  shores  of  the  Albert 
Edward  Nyanza  are  extremely  malarious,  and  the  water  undrink- 
able — Many  cases  of  fever  in  the  camj) — My  pigmy  woman  is  a 
useful  nurse — Our  march  through  the  Toro  district — Fever  cases 
still  on  the  increase — We  enter  the  country  of  Ankori      ..  ..     422 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  MARCH  THROUGH  ANKORI  AND  KARAGWE. 

Decision  as  to  our  future  route — Friendly  assistance  rendered  by  the 
natives  in  carrying  loads— We  wait  King  Antari's  pleasure  at  a 
small  village — Loss  of  some  of  my  clothes — Native  customs — 
Presents  of  soais  and  guides  from  King  Antari — Several  members  of 
the  exjiedition  prostrate  with  fever — Symptoms  of  an  attack  of 
fever — Some  pupils  of  the  late  Mr.  Mackay  of  the  Church  Mis- 
sionary Society  visit  us — Their  information  regarding  the  latest 
events  in  LI'ganda — The  cause  of  African  fever — A  few  of  the 
Pasha's  people  drop  out  of  the  caravan  through  sickness — The 
detestable  "yellow-bellies" — Our  progress  obstructed  by  a  large 
papyrus  quagmire — Carelessness  of  the  Zanzibaris  with  their  rifles — 
Immunity  of  our  men  from  sunstroke — We  experience  sharp  alter- 
nations of  temperature — Large  herds  of  cattle — Stinginess  of  the 
natives — Another  case  of  suiistroke^Theft  of  rifles  by  the  natives 
— Fever  among  the  white  officers — Visit  from  the  young  Prince  of 
Ankori  —  Ophthalmia  among  our  men  —  Native  coffee — Bonny's 
condition — We  transport  the  caravan  across  the  Alexandra  Nile — 
Murder  of  a  Manyuema  woman— Description  of  the  Hot  Springs 
at  Mtagata — I  take  a  thermal  bath  —  Death  of  one  of  Kibbo- 
bora's  wives — My  opinion  of  Manyuema  men  and  women — I  am 
obliged  to  leave  my  pigmy  woman  with  sonu;  friendly  natives — 
Her  i)arting  casts  a  gloom  over  the  camp — The  deserted  settle- 
ment of  Kafnrro — Visit  from  one  of  Speke  and  Grant's  men — 
Message  from  the  boy  king  of  Karagwe  —  Jephson  pays  his 
respects  to  the  latter — Bargain  making  with  the  king — Karagwe 
an  niiintcresting  country — The  coldest  day  experienced  by  mo  in 
Afiica — After  a  rough  march,  we  arrive  at  Lake  Urigi       ..  ..      449 


CONTENTS.  XXV 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

ME.    MACKAY's   mission   STATION   AT   USAMBIRO. 

PACK 

Unprovoked  attack  on  the  natives  by  some  of  our  worst  charncters — 
Fathel  Mullah,  a  Nubian,  is  handed  over  to  the  natives  for  punish- 
ment— The  march  toEuanda — Present  frcm  ilieold  chief  in  return 
for  professional  advice — Our  first  glimpse  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza — 
Delay  caused  by  non-appcaiance  of  premised  guides  • —  Sorcery 
among  the  natives — We  camp  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Victoria — 
Charmed  lives  possessed  by  ihe  Europeans  of  the  Expedition — 
We  enter  the  King  of  Usui's  dominion — Eemains  of  a  dead  zebra — 
Flight  of  natives  ficm  their  huts  while  passing  through  Usambiro's 
country — Quantities  of  honey — A  strange  custom  of  King  Mi- 
ram  bo't — Local  rumours — Peipetual  inter- tribal  animosity — Lack 
of  good  drinking-water  —  The  French  Missionary  l^tation  at 
Bukumbi — Hearty  reception  by  Mr.  Mackay  at  Usambirc — Ue- 
scription  of  the  Mission  Staticn — Mr.  Mackaj'  a  wonderful  mechanic 
— Welcome  news  and  letters — The  Germans  and  Zanzibar — My 
experiences  of  malarial  fever  from  the  Euwenzori  range  to  the 
Coast — The  symptoms  and  progress  of  an  attack  of  levtr — Miss 
Berkeley's  experiences  of  African  fever  among  missionaries — At 
all  altitudes  we  suffered  with  fever — Administration  of  quinine  lor 
fever' — Ko  cases  of  the  hafmorrhagic  form  of  malarial  lever — Mr. 
Mackay  kindly  replenishes  my  stock  of  medicines  and  provides 
other  necessary  articles  for  our  use  —  English  missionaries  in 
Equatorial  Africa  are  much  handicapped — An  attack  of  ophtliahnia 
prevents  me  from  finishing  my  regular  diary — Chances  of  survival 
of  the  white  man  in  Africa — The  principal  varieties  of  Alrican 
produce  on  which  we  subsisted — Plantains  and  bananas- — Potatoes 
— Meat  and  fish — Insects  and  reptiles — Cereals — Manioc — Cassava 
: — Forest  beans  and  fruits — European  provision?' — Mboga — Mohoga 
and  other  leaves  on  which  we  subsisted — Patience  and  forbearance 
of  the  Zanzibaris  during  their  trials  of  starvation^ — My  Zanzibari 
chief,  "Feruzi  Ali" — Our  exhausted  condition  during  the  starva- 
tion period — My  medical  experiences  on  board  the  S.S.  Madura  and 
Oriental — Descriptic^n  of  Tippu-Tib  and  his  staff  as  observed  by 
me  on  the  S.S.  Madura  ..       '    ..  ..  ..  ..  ..      468 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

SUMMARY   OF   MY   PROFESSIONAL   AND   PERSONAL    EXPERIENCES   WITH   THK 
RELIEF   EXPEDITION. 

My  experiences  from  the  Congo  mouth  to  Stanley  Pool — All  of  us  have 
suffered  seme  time  or  another  from  gastro-intestinal  catarrh — Cur 
sick  left  at  Mataddi  and  Leopoldvillc — How  to  render  manioc 
wholesome — Luxuriant  forests  of  the  Upper  Congo  Eiver — Un- 
pleasant times  on  board  the  Henry  lletd  while  proceeding  to 
Yambuya — Peiisoned  wooden  spikes  placed  in  the  ground  by  the 
savages — Our  march  through  the  dense  ])rimeval  forest — Camping- 
grounds  and  hut  construction — Hornets'  nests  in  the  forest — Our 
food- supply  on  the  journey  to  Lake  Albert — Mr.  Stanley  assists  me 
with  valuable  advice  in  the  prevention  and  treatment  of  fevers — 
During  the  forest  march  we  are  pestered  by  parasites,  jiggers,  and 

c 


CONTENTS. 


ticks — Tiie  renoval  of  the  arrow-head  I'rom  Lieut.  Stairs'  clicst — 
Amputation  of  Juma's  foot— Great  mortality  a inoui;  the  sick  left  at 
Ugarrowwa's  Station — The  terrible  gangrenous  ulcers — Nelson's 
Starvation  Camj) — Mr.  Stanley  presents  me  with  a  watch  and 
chain — History  of  the  same — Incident  showing  the  loyalty  of  our 
Zanzibaris— Our  arrival  at  Bagamoyo — We  are  entertained  by  the 
local  magnates,  &c.  —  Accident  to  Emin  Pasha  —  He  develops 
broncho-pneumonic  symptoms — The  Germans  interfere  with  the 
Pasha's  boxes  —  I  am  struck  down  with  hjematuric  fever  —  Dr. 
Charles  worth's  anxiety  regarding  my  condition — My  former  attack 
of  hajmaturic  fever  at  Fort  Bodo — My  ill-fated  friend  Major  Bart- 
telot — Mr.  J.  S.  Jameson  and  Mr.  Bonnj^ — Concluding  Keraarks 
about  my  three  fellow-officers  —  Jephson,  Nelson,  Stairs  —  Our 
leader,  Mr.  Stanley — Welcome  home — The  End    ..  ..  ..      492 

Nl)i:X        51,5 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


NO.  PAGE 

1.  Thomas  Heazle  Parke  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..  ..    Frontispiece 

2.  Arrows  used  by  the  Pigmies    ..          ..          ..          .,          ..          ..  85 

3.  Nelson's  Starvation  Camp        ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  117 

i.  Donkey  killed,  struggle  for  meat         ..          ...        ..          ..          ..  122 

5.  Curios  on  leopard  skin  ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  182 

0.  Stairs  relieving  Nelson  and  Parke  at  Ipoto     ..          ..          ..          ..  192 

7.  Manyuema  setting  fire  to  our  hut  containing  ammunition  at  I[xjto  136 

8.  Zanzibari  warning  Nelson  and  Parke  of  intended  attack     ..          ..  145 

9.  Different  ways  of  gardening  at  Fort  Bodo      ..          ..          ..          ...  176 

10.  Muftah  asking  forgiveness        ..          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  275 

11.  Arrival  of  Mr.  Stanley  at  Fort  Bodo  with  rear  column         ..          ..  336 

13.  Pigmy  damsel  changing  her  dress       ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  345 

14.  Niicives  at  Kavalli's  supposed  to  have  tails    ..          .-          ..          ..  397 

15.  Performing  blood  brotherhood . .          ..          ..          ..          ..          ..  430 

16.  Parke  and  his  faithful  Pigmy 301 

17.  View  of  Ruwenzori  (sketched  by  Stairs)        ..          ..          ..          ..  439 

18.  Group  of  relics ■ 500 

MAP. 

lloute  Map  of  the  Emiu  Pasha  Relief  Expedition  across  Central  Africa 

in  jpoclcet. 


MY    PEPiSOXAL    EXPERIENCES 


EQUATORIAL    APEICA, 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM   ALEXANDRIA   TO    CAPE   TOWN. 

Meeting  with  Major  Barttelot  at  Alexandria,  who  furnishes  me  with  an 
introduction  to  Mr.  t^tanli'y — An  unsuccessful  call  on  the  explorer — The 
Alexandrian  Hunt  Club — Interview  witli  Mr.  Stanley  at  Cairo — Indefinite 
leave  of  absence  granted  me  by  the  Authorities — The  contract  of  engage- 
ment for  the  Emin  Pasha  Relief  Expedition — Preparations  for  the  start 
— Farewell  banquet  at  the  Khedivial  Club — My  servant  Mohammed — 
At  Zagazig  I  meet  Mr.  Stanley  and  Dr.  Jvmker— 'J'el  Basta — Suez — 
Introduction  to  my  fellow  officers — Our  Nubian  soldiers — Amputation  of 
Mohammed  Doud's  finger — -Embarkation  on  the  S.S.  Oriental  at  Aden 
— The  contingent  of  Somalis — Descriiition  of  Aden — A  case  of  small-pox 
— Vaccination  of  all  the  members  of  the  Exj^edition — Temperature  in 
tiie  Indian  Ocean — Gymnastics  of  the  flying  flsh — Eules  for  the  preser- 
vation of  health  in  the  Tropics — Bleached  bones  at  Lamu — Mombasa — 
Arrival  at  Zanzibar — Dr.  Hussey  introduces  me  to  the  famous  Tippu- 
Tib — Our  Zanzibaris — We  embark  en  the  S.S.  Madura — Fiee  fight 
between  the  Soudanese  and  Zanzibaris — Mr.  Stanley  distributes  the  men 
among  the  officers — Tippu-Tib  to-  be  appointed  Governor  of  "  Stanley 
Falls" — Copy  of  "General  Orders"  issued  by  Mr.  Stanley — The  men's 
daily  rations — My  professional  experiences  on  board  the  Madura — Small- 
pox in  Africa. 

Jan.  20,  1887. — On  my  way  to  duty  in  the  morning  I  met  a 
comparatively  old  friend,  Major  Barttelot  of  the  7th  Fusiliers. 
He  had  just  arrived  by  P.  and  0.  steamer  en  route  for  Aden. 
Bright,  jolly,  and  animated  he  was,  radiant  with  energy  and 
good  humour ;  as,  indeed,  I  always  found  him  except  when 
depressed  by  sickness  or  overwork  of  some  kind.  When 
the  mutual  greetings  were  concluded,  he  informed  me  that 
he  had  been  selected  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  accompany  him  as  one 
of  the  officers  of  the  Emin  Pasha  Belief  Expedition,  and  was 
then  actually  on  his  way  to  execute  an  important  commission 

B 


2  EXPEniENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

for  his  chief.  This  commission  was  the  collection  of  thirteen 
Somali  boys  at  Aden,  with  whom  he  was  to  meet  Mr.  Stanley 
on  his  way  to  Zanzibar;  as  the  latter,  from  his  previous 
experience  of  their  usefulness,  tliought  it  very  desirable 
to  add  this  contingent  to  the  effective  roll  of  the  present 
■expedition. 

Barttelot  seemed  quite  radiant  with  the  romantic  idea  of 
traversing  unknown  regions  in  search  of  the  lost  European 
-hero,  and  urged  me  to  accompany  the  expedition,  if  I  could 
'obtain  a  release  from  my  present  duties.  On  inquiring  who 
Emin  was,  I  was  told  he  was  "some  chap  who  wanted  to 
iget  out  of  Africa  and  couldn't."  The  idea  pleased  me, 
•and  I  immediately  agreed  that  I  should  try  to  obtain  the 
■appointment  of  medical  officer.  I  would  apply  personally  to 
Mr.  Stanley  when  he  arrived  here.  He  was  expected  in  a  few 
days,  and  Barttelot  kindly  offered  me  a  letter  of  introduction 
to  him.  I  was  very  pleased  with  the  idea  of  having  Barttelot 
as  a  companion,  if  selected  by  the  leader  of  the  Relief  Expe- 
dition, as  he  was  very  jolly  company  when  off  duty.  He  is  a 
hard  worker,  very  energetic,  and  always  on  the  move ;  so  that 
he  should  be  a  very  effective  officer,  although  rather  hot- 
tempered  and  a  rigid  disciplinarian. 

Jan.  27. — On  hearing  of  Mr.  Stanley's  arrival  by  P.  and  O. 
-steamer,  I  followed  up  my  intentions  by  at  once  calling  on  him. 
'So  I  proceeded  to  Abbat's  hotel,  where  I  had  been  told  that 
■he  was  staying  for  an  hour  or  so  before  the  Cairo  train  would 
deave.  I  sent  in  the  letter  of  introduction  which  Barttelot  had 
given  me  a  week  before.  When  admitted  to  his  presence  I 
tendered  an  offer  of  my  services.  The  immediate  answer — 
■characteristically  prompt  and  decisive  in  tone — was,  that  he 
■could  take  no  person  now,  as  he  had  already  chosen  a  sufficient 
•'number  of  officers.  This  left  me  nothing  more  to  say  on  the 
'Subject,  so  I  gave  him  my  card  and  took  leave.  He  loft  for 
^  Cairo,  and  I  Avent  back  to  my  routine  employment,  thinking 
that  nothing  further  was  likely  to  result  from  the  application. 
-Accordingly  I  gave  as  little  further  thought  to  the  matter  as 
possible,  although  I  was  growing  tired  of  the  routine  of  Alex- 
andrian life,  with  its  sleepy,  apathetic,  one-eyed  inhabitants, 
and  its  engrossing  native  industry  of  "  hacJcsheesh." 

Jan.  28,  29. — I  was  dining  with  a  party  at  the  Khedivial 
Club   when  a  telegram    was  brought   to   me  by   the   waiter 


1887.]  FBOM   ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE    TOWN.  3 

/9.45  P.M.).     Oil  opeiiiiig  I  found  it  was  from  the  leader  of  the 
Emiii  Pcisha  Eelief  Expedition.     It  was  worded  as  follows  : 

"  Surgeon  Parke,  Medical  Staff,  Alexandria. 

"  If  allowed  accompany  Expedition  what  terms  required?  Are  you  free  to 
go  with  me  ?     Send  particulars  to 

"  Shepheard's  Hotel. 

(Signed)  "  Staxley." 

My  former  ambition — suddenly  aroused  and  as  suddenly  sup- 
pressed— now  received  a  new  stimulus.  I  determined  to  lose 
no  time  in  preparation,  as  Mr.  Stanley's  quickness  of  resolve 
and  promptitude  of  action  were  well  known.  So  I  immediately 
wired  my  reply : 

"  Certainly.     Coming  to  Cairo  to-night." 

Before  leaving  for  Cairo  I  was  obliged  to  transfer  tlie 
responsibilities  of  the  Alexandrian  Hunt — a  meet  of  the  fox 
hounds  having  been  previously  advertised  for  the  following 
day.  The  Hunt  Club  had  paid  me  the  compliment  of 
electing  me  "master"  of  the  fox  hounds  at  Alexandria  in 
the  year  1886.  It  was  the  first  pack  ever  hunted  in  Egypt, 
and  had  been  a  great  success.  Some  of  my  most  pleasant 
recollections  were  associated  with  the  club  and  its  members. 
During  the  previous  part  of  the  winter — from  the  time 
when  the  declining  temperature  permitted  us  to  do  so  with 
safety  and  comfort — we  had  held  our  regular  weekly  meet 
(Saturday,  3  p.m.).  Our  Egyptian  foxes,  although  smaller, 
were  sufficiently  like  those  I  had  been  accustomed  to  hunt  in 
Ireland,  to  make  the  home  associations  an  additional  element 
in  the  enjoyment  of  this  newly-imported  exercise.  Xt  the 
appointed  time  and  place  about  sixty  mounted  disciples  of 
Nimrod  would  turn  up,  including  representatives  of  nearly 
every  civilised  nation.  A  more  cosmopolitan  gathering  could 
hardly  be  found.  And  excellent  sport  we  usually  had;  the 
scent  lay  well  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Alexandria,  as  the 
proximity  of  the  sea  insured  us  a  fair  distribution  of  surface 
moisture.  Accordingly,  the  main  difficulty  to  be  anticipated 
in  the  securing  of  a  successful  run  was  the  choosing  of  the 
■country,  which  required  a  certain  amount  of  diplomacy  on 
account  of  the  distribution  of  gardens,  swamps,  &c.  This  was 
.all  changed  when  we  approached  Cairo  ;  there  we  had  simply 

E   2 


4  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

no  scent  at  all,  owing  to  the  absence  of  surface  moisture  and 
the  superfluous  distribution  of  sand. 

In  this  difficulty  I  proposed  to  a  brother  officer  his  taking 
up  my  responsibilities  for  the  success  of  the  morrow's  meet : 
his  modesty  at  first  made  him  hesitate ;  but,  on  explaining  the. 
peculiarities  of  my  position,  he  very  kindly  acceded  to  my 
request,  and  thus  relieved  me  of  an  important  charge.  Warmly 
thanking  him  for  the  timely  relief,  I  at  once  rushed  off  to  pack 
up  a  few  things  to  bring  with  me  to  Cairo,  and  left  Alexandria 
by  the  10.30  p.m.  train. 

At  6  A.M.  I  arrived  at  Shepheard's  Hotel,  and  sought  ai 
partial  refreshment  for  the  labours  of  the  day  by  a  few  hours 
sleep  in  the  reading-room,  as  the  hotel  was  full.  Then  a  bath, 
and  hasty  toilet,  prepared  me  for  an  interview  with  the  leader 
of  the  Expedition.  This  took  place  between  9.30  and  10  a.m. 
I  agreed  without  hesitation,  explaining,  of  course,  to  Mr. 
Stanley  my  present  relationship  with  the  Army  Medical  Staff. 
He  at  once  cablegraphed  to  the  War  Office,  London,  requesting 
permission  for  me  to  accompany  him  in  medical  charge  of  the 
Emin  Pasha  Eelief  Expedition.  I  had  no  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing the  sanction  of  Surgeon-General  O'Nial,  C.B.,  and  of 
General  Sir  Frederick  Stephenson,  G.C.B.  The  latter  is  in 
command  of  the  British  forces  in  Egypt,  and  he  cablegraphed 
to  the,  War  Office  authorities  asking  them  to  grant  me  per- 
mission to  accompany  Mr.  Stanley.  He  also  asked  whether, 
in  case  the  request  was  acceded  to,  my  pay  would  be  continued,. 
and  my  service  under  Mr.  Stanley  count  towards  promotion 
and  retirement.  To  these  queries  the  following  reply  was 
received  in  due  course : — 

"29^/i. — Yours  to-day.  Government  is  not  responsible  for  Stanley  Ex- 
pedition, and  cannot  give  official  sanction  to  officers  joining  it.  Barttelot  has- 
been  given  leave  of  absence  from  his  regiment — without  pay — with  leave  to 
travel  in  Africa.     This  is  all  that  can  be  done  to  Parke." 

Accordingly,  I  was  so  far  free  to  move,  although  the  amount 
of  encouragement  was  not  very  stimulating.  However,  as  I 
had  put  my  hand  to  the  plough,  I  felt  no  wish  to  look  back. 

He  also  wrote  the  following  letter  to  Sir  Frederick 
Stephenson  :—  ..  Shepheard's  Hotel, 

"  2^th  January,  1887. 
"To  General  Officer  commanding  in  Egvpt — 
"Sir, 

"I  sliould  feel  exceedingly  obliged  if  you  would  be  good  enough  to- 


1887.]  FROM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  5 

grant  permission  to  Surgeon  T.  H.  Parke,  of  the  Medical  Staff  to  accompany 
the  Emin  Pasha  Ilelief  Expedition  as  medical  officer  in  charge. 

"The  medical  officer  who  had  already  been  appointed  has,  at  the  last 
moment,  as  1  learn  by  cable  from  Loniioii,  been  compelled  to  abandon  the 
Expedition.  1  estimate  the  duration  of  the  Expedition  to  be  about  eighteen 
mouths. 

"  1  have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant, 
(Signed)  "  H.  M.  Staxlky. 

"  Cairo,  31— 1— '87." 

I  also  sent  a  written  application  to  the  P.  31.  0.  It  was 
v'orcled  as  follows  : — 

"Fkom  Surgeon  T.  H.  Pauke,  M.  S.,  Cairo,  to  Principal  Medical 
Officer,  Egypt. 

"  Cairo,  29— 1— '87. 
"  Sir, 

"  I  have  the  honour  to  request  that  permission  may  be  granted  me  to 
accompany  Mr.  Stanley  to  Central  Africa  for  the  relief  of  Emin  Pasha,  as 
medical  officer  in  charge  of  the  force. 

"  I  beg  to  attach  a  telegram  which  I  received  from  Mr.  Stanley. 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be.  Sir, 

"  Your  obedient  servant. 
(Signed)  "  T.  H.  Parke, 

"  Surgeon,  M.  S." 

To  this  application  I  received,  in  due  course,  the  following 
rbply  :— 

"  Chief  of  Staff, 

"  Forwarded.     I  have  no  objection. 

(Signed)  "J.  O'Xial, 

"  Surgeon-General,  P.  M.  0. 
"  Cairo,  31— 1— '87." 

Jan.  30. — General  Sir  Frederick  Stephenson  sent  a  mes- 
sage, asking  me  to  visit  him  at  his  house  at  10.30  a.m.  He 
then  showed  me  the  reply  (printed  above)  which  he  had 
received  to  his  cablegram.  He  talked  to  me  very  considerately 
about  my  position,  and  recommended  me  to  think  further  over 
the  matter,  and  consider  the  difficulties  and  dangers  which 
must  inevitably  beset  the  Expedition  in  its  progress,  before 
coming  to  a  final  decision.  I  told  him  that  I  liad  already 
done  so,  and  had  definitely  made  up  my  mind  to  go  on.  I 
then  submitted  my  final  application  in  writing,  asking — at 
his  own  suggestion — for  indefinite  leave  of  absence.  So  far 
now,  my  difficulties  were  completely  removed,  as  I  was  sure  of 


6  EXPEBIENGES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

leave  of  absence  for  an  indefinite  period — from  the  5th  prox. 
Accordingly,  I  at  once  returned  to  the  hotel  to  Mr.  Stanley, 
and  signed  the  following : — 

"  Contract  of  Engagement  rou  Emin  Pasha  Eelief  Expedition, 

"I,  Thomas  Heazle  Parke,  Surgeon  Army  Medical  Staff,  agree  to  accom- 
jiauy  the  Emin  Pasha  Relief  Expedition,  and  to  place  myself  under  the 
command  of  Mr.  H.  M.  Stanley,  the  leader  of  the  Expedition,  and  to  accept, 
any  post  or  position  in  that  Expedition  to  which  he  iway  appoint  me.  I 
further  agree  to  serve  him  loyally  and  devotedly,  to  obey  all  his  orders,  and 
to  follow  him  by  whatsoever  route  he  may  choose,  and  to  use  my  utmost 
endeavours  to  bring  the  Expedition  to  a  successlul  issue.  Should  I  leave  the 
Expedition  without  his  orders,  I  agree  to  forfeit  passage  money,  and  to 
become  liable  to  refund  all  moneys  advanced  to  me  for  passage  to  Zanzibar 
and  outfit. 

"Mr.  H.  M.  Stanley  also  agrees  to  give  £40  for  outfit,  and  to  pay  my 
passage  to  Zanzibar,  and  my  return  passage  to  England,  provided  I  continue 
during  the  whole  period  of  the  Expedition.  I  undertake  not  to  publish 
anything  connected  with  the  Expedition,  or  to  send  any  account  to  the  news- 
papers for  six  months  after  the  issue  of  the  official  publication  of  the 
Expedition  by  the  leader  or  his  representative. 

"  In  addition  to  the  outfit  Mr.  Stanley  will  supply  the  following : — tent, 
bed,  Winchester  rifle,  one  revolver,  ammunition  for  the  same,  canteen,  a  due 
share  of  European  provisions  taken  for  the  party — besides  such  provisions  as 
the  country  can  supply. 

"  T.  H.  Parke, 

"  Surgeon  Army  Medical  Staff, 

"  Shepheard's  Hotel,  Cairo, 

"30</i  January,  1887. 

'■^Witness        William  Hoffman, 

"  Approved        Henry  M.  Stanley." 

The  preliminaries  having  been  so  far  satisfactorily  adjusted, 
I  had  but  to  provide  as  well  as  I  could  for  personal  comforts 
and  jirofessional  requirements. 

I  asked  Mr.  Stanley  whether  he  had  any  surgical  instru- 
ments with  him  for  the  use  of  the  Expedition.  He  replied, 
"  No."  He  gave  me,  however,  £15  to  purchase  the  necessary 
stock  of  instruments,  in  addition  to  the  £40  for  my  outfit,  so  I 
had  now  merely  to  complete  my  preparations  for  departure. 
Accordingly,  I  left  Cairo  for  Alexandria  by  the  5.40  p.m.  train, 
arriving  at  9.30  p.m.,  and  went  straight  to  the  club.  My 
friends  were  looking  out  for  the  result  of  my  interview  with 
]\rr.  Stanley.  On  hearing  tluit  the  preliminary  arrangements 
had  been  definitely  completed,  the  usual  variety  of  comments 
were  uttered.  Some  said  "lucky  fellow";  others — with  a  pity- 
ing shrug  of  the  shoulders — "  Poor  devil ! "     However,  I  had 


1887.]  FEOM  ALEXANDBIA    TO    CAFE   TOWN.  7 

now  sufficient  employment  in  making  my  preparati/jns  for  the 
start,  and  did  not  waste  much  time  in  discussing  tlie  prudence 
of  my  procedure. 

Jan.  31. — Tlie  whole  of  this  day  was  spent  in  procuring  the 
items  necessary  for  my  outfit.  I  received  the  following 
telegram : — 

"  To  Surgeon  Parke,  Alexandria.  "  31  Jan.  '87. 

"  Please  wire  your  decision  as  to  accompanying  Stanley  ;  send  also  by  post 
to-day  your  decision  in  accordance  with  telegram  from  Horse  Guards 
yesterday.  Certified  copies  of  documents  referred  to  by  you  will  be  sent  you. 
by  post. 

"  Military  Secretary,  Cairo." 

Having  complied  with  the  contents  of  this  missive,  I  felt 
my  mind  easier  regarding  my  present  position.  My  official 
fetters  were  now  removed,  and  I  merely  required  to  prepare 
for  the  fulfilment  of  a  new  class  of  duties  in  a  different  sphere 
of  action. 

Feb.  1. — I  completed  my  outfit  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,, 
and  then  paid  several  farewell  visits.  Mr.  B.  Smith,  chief  of 
the  Eastern  Telegraph,  gave  a  sumptuous  luncheon  for  me. 
]\Eost  of  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  and  many  civilians,  were 
present. 

Feb.  2. — In  the  early  part  of  this  day  I  settled  my  accounts 
and  made  my  will,  so  that  my  earthly  anxieties  might  h& 
reduced  to  a  minimum  before  facing  the  ordeal  of  the  African, 
forests  and  deserts. 

In  the  evening  I  was  entertained  at  a  farewell  banquet 
given  me  by  many  friends— civil  and  military,  English  and 
foreign — at  the  Khedivial  Club.  Many  speeches  were  made,. 
all  of  them  kindly  in  tone  and  cordial  in  feeling.  I  was. 
certainly  made  to  feel  that  I  was  parting  from  warm  friends. 
I  already  felt  a  halo  of  romance  forming  around  my  move- 
ments, and  realised,  more  fully  than  I  had  previously  done,, 
the  thrilling  nature  of  the  journey  and  incidents  in  which  I 
must  take  part  during  the  pilgrimage  in  quest  of  the  lost 
hero  of  Equatoria.  The  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  society 
of  the  metropolis  of  African  civilisation  was  well  displayed  at 
this  farewell  gathering.  Such  a  Babel  of  tongues,  as  the  wine 
went  round  and  conversation  became  more  confidential  ! 

My  servant,  Mohammed,  a  Berberine,  who  had  agreed  to 
accompany  me  on  the  Expedition,  with  a  monthly  pay  of  £3, 


8  EXFEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFEICA.         [1887. 

now  "  funked  "  the  dangers  wliicli  lie  Lad  heard  so  fully  dis- 
cussed. The  excuse  he  offered  was  that  his  father  did  not  like 
the  idea  of  his  going.  The  dutiful  son  !  I  remember  haviug 
read  among  the  experiences  of  some  exploring  traveller,  who 
had  tried  to  preach  industry  among  the  Berberines,  that  he 
was  met  by  the  conservative  objection,  "  Our  fathers  never 
worked,  and  it  would  be  a  disgrace  to  break  the  old  custom." 
I  can  fully  realise  the  earnest  truthfulness  of  the  assertion, 

Feb.  3. — Left  Mohambey  station  (8  a.m.)  for  Suez,  A 
large  gathering  of  friends  had  come  to  see  me  off.  A  former 
patient  of  mine  presented  me  with  a  copy  of  Shakespeare,  as  a 
parting  gift  and  remembrancer  on  my  journey.  I  cordially 
appreciated  the  kind  attention ;  and,  now  that  I  am  about  to 
penetrate  the  undiscovered  country,  from  whose  bourn  so  few 
white  travellers  have  safely  returned,  I  trust  that  the  perusal 
of  the  pages  of  the  immortal  dramatist  will  help  me  to  while 
away  many  a  weary  hour.  At  Zagazig  station  the  Alexandria 
and  Cairo  trains  meet,  and  there  I  met  Mr.  Stanley  and  Dr. 
Junker.  I  proceeded  in  company  with  them  to  Suez.  "We 
were  joined  at  Ismailia  by  Giglier  Pasha,  who  travelled  with 
ns  the  rest  of  the  way,  so  that  I  already  began  to  enjoy  the 
advantages  of  intellectual  friction  with  three  of  the  most 
experienced  authorities  on  the  internal  arrangements  of  the 
"  Dark  Continent."  Mr.  Stanley  then  asked  me  what  country 
I  belonged  to.  I  replied,  Ireland.  Then  he  said,  "  Well,  you 
are  the  first  Irishman  who  will  have  crossed  Africa." 

The  neighbourhood  of  the  large  modern  Egyptian  city  of 
Zagazig  is  interesting  to  the  tourist  and  the  antiquarian,  as 
well  as  to  the  modern  historian.  Near  it  is  Tel  Basta,  the 
ruined  remains  of  the  Pi  Bast  of  the  ancients,  a  city  sacred 
to  the  holy  cat,  which  was  the  object  of  so  much  religious 
veneration  among  the  Egyptians  in 'the  more  prosperous  days 
of  their  history.  Innumerable  images  and  modelled  forms  of 
the  sacred  animal  have  been  exhumed  from  the  mounds  which 
occupy  the  site,  from  a  magnified  life-size  down  to  minute 
miniature ;  and  the  remains  of  a  large  temple  dedicated  to 
"  the  sacred  cat,  the  lady  of  the  white  crown  "  have  also  been 
explored.  A  sharp  engagement  occurred  here  after  the  battle 
of  Tel-el-Kebir,  in  1882,  between  a  small  detachment  of 
British  cavalry  and  several  trains-full  of  Egyptian  troops, 
which  resulted  in  the  complete  dispersion  of  the  latter. 


1887]  FROM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  9 

"We  arrived  at  Suez  at  7  r.M.,  and  put  up  at  the  Suez 
Hotel,  We  were  there  obliged  to  accommodate  ourselves  to 
the  drawbacks  which  characterise  so  many  of  the  remote 
provincial  establishments  of  this  class,  as  the  house  was  small 
and  not  very  clean,  while  the  entertainment  was  decidedly 
expensive.  There  was  nothing  in  our  immediate  surroundings 
to  inspire  feelings  of  a  romantic  or  any  other  high  class,  and 
even  the  comparative  proximity  of  Ras  Sufsafeh,  on  the  summit 
of  which  Moses  is  believed  to  have  received  the  "tables  of 
stone,"  was  not  sufficient  to  concentrate  our  attention,  pre- 
occupied as  it  is  by  our  own  ponderous  responsibilities. 

Feb.  4. — Sailed  about  one  mile  to  the  end  of  the  promontory, 
and  there  inspected  sixty-two  Nubian  soldiers,  who  are  to 
accompany  us  on  the  Expedition.  They  are  all  volunteers ; 
in  splendid  physical  condition  and  excellent  spirits. 

In  the  evening  I  dined  with  Dr.  Morrison,  of  Suez. 

Feb.  5. — I  procured  for  myself  a  few  final  extras  to  complete 
iny  kit.  Giglier  Pasha  returned  home  by  early  train.  I 
played  in  a  cricket-match — for  "  Suez  "  against  "  Eastern 
Telegraph."  The  game  was  vigorously  contested,  and  our 
side,  indeed,  managed  to  get  beaten,  but  the  result  did  not 
depress  our  spirits.  I  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Charles  Eoyle,  of 
Alexandria,  for  a  copy  of  his  '  Egyptian  Campaigns,'  which 
I  recsived  in  due  course. 

Feb.  6. — Mr.  Stanley,  Dr.  Junker,  and  myself  lunched  with 
Mr.  Beyts,  the  British  India  S.S.  Agent  at  Suez.  At  3  p.m. 
we  embarked  on  the  Navarino,  B.  I.  S.  S.  Co.  I  was  there 
introduced  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  Messrs.  Nelson,  Jephson,  Stairs, 
and  Bonny,  all  of  whom  are,  like  myself,  officers  of  the 
Expedition.     Bonny  had  arrived  yesterday. 

I  got  our  Nubian  volunteers  on  board  and  gave  receipts  for 
their  equipment,  kits,  ammunition,  Emin  Pasha's  kit,  &c.,  &c. 

Our  reinforcement  of  Nubians  are  certainly  immense  fellows 
to  look  at.  I  presume  that  the  specimens  were  selected 
with  some  care ;  the  average  stature  is  rather  over  six  feet. 
Gigantic  individuals  ;  but  rather  sulky-looking  [an  appear- 
ance which  does  not  belie  their  character,  as  we  afterwards 
experienced].  Their  features  are  of  the  Negro  type,  with  thick 
lips,  flattened  noses,  woolly  hair,  and  ill-developed  calves. 
They  are  to  be  used  rather  as  soldiers  than  in  any  other 
way.     [It  did  not  take  long  to  discover  that  some  such  swag- 


10  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

goring  employment— \vith  little  fatiguing  physical  work  to  do,, 
and  little  definite  to  think  about— suited  them  best,  as  they 
are  really  dull  and  stupid,  and  have  little  enduring  energy. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  typical  Negro  is  essentially  a 
being  of  the  moment,  who  enjoys  his  immediate  surronndings- 
without  care  or  forethonght  for  future  contingencies,  and  is 
aroused  to  a  direct  sense  of  his  wants  only  by  the  pressure 
of  hunger  or  pain;  that  he  is  a  born  communist,  with  an 
open  heart  and  an  open  hand,  and  shares  whatever  he  happens 
to  possess  at  the  moment  with  all  his  friends  and  well-wishers,. 
on  the  supposition  that  they  will  do  the  same  upon  like 
occasion.  These  characteristics  Avere,  however,  found  to  be 
much  more  developed  in  our  Zanzibaris,  who  were  really  of  a 
mixed  origin,  and  cannot  at  all  be  offered  as  perfect  types  of 
the  African  Negro.] 

Feb.  7. — A  number  of  missionaries  and  their  Mives  came 
on  board ;  they  are  Ijound  for  Burmah  and  India.  One  of 
the  blacks  (Nubians)  had  his  finger  broken  at  Wady  Haifa 
three  weeks  i)reviously.  His  name  is  Mohammed  Doud;  he 
was,  of  course,  reported  sick.  At  this  date  there  was  no 
chance  of  saving  the  finger.  So  I  amputated  it  above  the 
iirst  joint.  I  considered  it  well  worth  while  to  save  even 
a  portion  of  the  first  phalanx  of  a  digit  of  a  hand,  the 
functions  of  which  were  not  purely  ornamental.  [Most 
surgical  authorities  lay  it  down  as  a  dogma  that  there  is  no 
use  in  amputating  through  the  first  phalanx  of  any  of  the  four 
smaller  digits ;  however,  the  adhesions  of  the  tendons  and 
fascia3  in  the  cicatricial  tissue  must  necessarily  leave  a  fair 
<legree  of  active  mobility  to  a  first  phalanx  which  has  been 
<livided  in  its  continuity,  although  in  the  healthy  anatomical 
state  it  has  no  tendon  attached  to  it.  Accordingly,  I  acted 
(m  tliis  ])rin('iplo,  and  the  event  cei-tainly  justified  the  pro- 
cedure, for  tlio  patient  afterwards  displayed  a  considerable 
jtower  of  using  liis  stumpy  ]>halanx,  and  would  certainly  have 
greatly  resented  a  suggestion  to  remove  what  he  had  left.] 

I  dressed  the  wound  anti.seiitieally,  and  arranged  the  hand 
comfortably  in  a  sling. 

]\rohainmed  Doud  states  that  he  came  in  (Gordon's  steamer 
from  Khartoum  to  ]\retemmeh  on  the  21st  of  January,  1885. 
He  said  ho  recognised  me  as  oni'  of  the  persons  whom  he  had 
seen  there  on  his  arrival. 


1887.]  FEOM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAFE   TOWN,  .11 

On  this  day  Dr.  Junker  left  us. 

In  the  evening  we  steamed  away  from  Suez. 

Feb.  8.- — The  day  was  calm  and  warm — a  day  for  reflection. 
I  had  not  much  in  the  way  of  active  duty — Mohammed  Doud's 
finger  was  my  principal  charge,  so  I  had  ample  opportnnities- 
for  thinking  quietly  over  my  present  position.  Before  signing 
my  agreement  with  Mr.  Stanley,  I  asked  him  what  he  meant 
by  "  terms  "  in  his  telegram  of  the  28th  of  January.  His- 
brief  reply  was  :  "There  are  none."  Accordingly  my  pecuniary 
prospects  connected  with  this  expedition  are  simply  nil:  I 
receive  no  remnneration  from  any  source  whatever.  The 
Government  has  refused  to  pay  me ;  I  am  volunteering  my 
services  gratuitously  ;  and  so  must  only  exist  in  the  hope  that, 
like  all  virtuous  deeds  performed  in  this  world,  they  will 
eventually — if  not  immediately — prove  their  own  reward. 

Feb.  9. — Attended  to  Mohammed  Doud,  who  is  doing  well ; 
spent  a  great  part  of  the  day  in  mental  evaluation  of  my  future 
companions.  At  intervals  I  amused  myself  by  reading  *King 
Solomon's  Mines.' 

Feb.  10. — To-day  the  temperature  of  both  air  and  water  is 
80°  F. — latitude  a  little  south  of  Suakim.  AYe  had  an  "  event '" 
at  noon-tide,  in  the  shape  of  a  slight  sJioiver  of  rain — a  rare 
incident  in  the  Eed  Sea. 

Feb.  11. — To-day  we  passed  the  island  of  Perim  in  the 
straits  of  Babu'l  Mandib — our  gate  of  exit  from  the  Ked  Sea. 

The  French  had  intended  making  a  coaling  station  at  this 
island,  but — observe  the  powers  of  superior  diplomacy  ! — the 
French  admiral  received  a  timely  invitation  to  lunch  with  the 
British  governor  at  Aden  ;  and  the  proffered  hospitality  occu- 
pied his  thoughts  so  fully  that  he  did  not  mind  hoisting  the 
"  tricolour  "  in  the  early  part  of  the  day.  He  returned  from  a 
pleasant  repast  to  find  the  Union  Jack  flying  on  Altamont, 
the  highest  point  of  the  island,  where  it  had  been  placed 
during  the  hour  of  entertainment  by  a  swift  and  trusty 
messenger  of  his  confiding  host. 

Feb.  12. — At  2.80  a.m.  we  anchored  off  Aden.  After  break- 
fast, the  Nubian  soldiei  s  were  transferred  to  the  B.  I.  S.  S. 
Oriental.  Mr.  Stanley  also  went  on  board,  with  Jcphson, 
Stairs,  Nelson,  Bonny,  and  myself.  Major  Barttelot  and  Mr. 
Jameson  (with  thirteen  Somalis)  received  us  on  board.  The 
baggage  was  taken  over,  and  we  steamed  away  at  4  p.m.     The 


12  EXFEBIEXVES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.         [1887. 

Navarino  passengers  gave  us   a  hearty  farewell  cheer  as  we 
jnoved  off. 

Our  new  contingent  of  Somalis  presents  an  interesting  and, 
indeed,  striking  contrast  to  their  Nubian  fellow-travellers. 
The  average  height  of  the  Somali  is  about  5ft.  Tin.,  and,  as  he 
is  of  light  build,  and  carries  no  superfluous  flesh  whatever,  he 
looks  a  puny  pigmy  when  observed  alongside  the  gigantic 
Nubian.  The  Somali's  type  of  feature  is  Asiatic ;  and  the 
quick,  intelligent  expression  of  his  face  and  eyes,  which  often 
yaries,  according  to  the  inspiration  of  the  moment,  into  one 
of  genuine  intellectual  cleverness  or  pronounced  cunning,  also 
furnishes  an  interesting  study  when  observed  beside  the  dull, 
stolid,  and  sulky  features  of  his  Nubian  neighbour.  These 
Somalis  are  also  very  agile  in  their  movements — compared 
with  the  Negroes ;  and  can  do  some  curious  things  in  the  way 
of  gymnastics.  They  are  very  expert  divers,  and  will  perform 
wonders  in  the  way  of  bringing  up  things  from  under  water. 
Their  skin  is  of  a  coppery  tint ;  the  natural  expression  of  the 
face  is  strikingly  bright — with  quick,  dark,  and  very  mobile 
eyes — and,  altogether,  their  appearance  is  prepossessing. 

They  are,  I  believe,  all  Mohammedans  in  creed,  but  not 
very  strict  in  the  practice  of  tlieir  faith.  They  have  a  sultan 
of  their  own,  of  course,  and  there  are  three  castes  among  his 
subjects :  the  iron-workers,  the  common  people,  the  jugglers 
iind  magic  doctors.  The  "  good  "  Mohammedan  Somali  shaves 
his  head,  and  wears  a  turban  ;  the  less  strict  allows  his  hair  to 
grow  pretty  long,  and  parts  it  down  the  middle.  The  prin- 
<'.ipal  garment  is  of  sheep-skin — which  the  men  make  into 
a  girdle  wliich  is  worn  around  the  loins,  and  the  women 
a  cloak  which  reaches  below  the  knee.  When  travelling, 
ii  ])iece  of  red  goat-skin  is  carried,  to  kneel  on  during 
prayer. 

At  Aden  all  are  clothed  in  long  cloth  shirts  and  calico 
sliawls. 

AVo  received  a  "lleuter"  bearing  tlio  intelligence  that  400  ' 
Italians  had  been  massacred  at3rassowah,  and  that  the  liritish 
<i<)Vornnu!nt  had  decided  to  evacuate  Egypt.     Encouraging 
items  these  to  ] British  wanderers  al)out  to  penetrate  the  heart 
of  Africa  ! 

Aden  itself  consists  of  a  nuiss  of  hills  of  rugged  and  preci- 
pitous character,  forming  a  peninsula,  connected  by  a  slender 


1887.]  FBOM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  1'3' 

and  low  isthmus  to  the  Arabian  portion  of  the  Asiati(^ 
continent.  It  includes  a  town  and  military  cantonment,  witli 
elaborate  fortifications.  Its  military  and  geological  peculiar- 
ities have  given  it  the  name  of  the  "  Indian  Gibraltar."  It 
has  many  events  of  great  interest  written  in  its  past  history  : 
one  of  the  most  taking  to  the  British  traveller  being  the  fact 
that  it  was  the  first  accession  of  territory  recorded  in  the  reign 
of  Her  Majesty  Queen  Victoria.  It  is  celebrated  for  the- 
possession  of  colossal  water-tanks  ;  the  construction  of  which 
dates  back  to  the  second  Persian  invasion  of  Yemen,  which 
took  place  in  a.d.  600.  The  study  of  these  structures  brings- 
the  mind  of  the  historic  antiquarian  back  to  a  period  when  the 
civilisation  of  Persia  and  Arabia  formed  such  an  astounding: 
contrast  to  the  ignorant  and  unwashed  condition  of  the  greater 
part  of  Europe,  that  some  of  the  most  enlightened  authorities 
on  the  habits  and  customs  of  this  period  will  have  us  believe 
that  the  bloody  conquests  of  the  Arabs  and  Turks  in  the 
southern  and  south-eastern  portions  of  our  own  continent  were- 
by  no  means  an  unmixed  evil.  The  importance  of  the  seaport 
has,  of  course,  risen  enormously  since  the  opening  of  the 
Suez  Canal  ;  it  now  serves  as  a  sort  of  "  half-way  house  "  to 
India.  The  structure  of  the  hills  has  been  found  very 
interesting  to  scientific  geologists,  who  look  upon  them  as  a 
vol'^anic  relic,  representing  a  huge  crater  of  a  remote  period 
in  the  world's  history.  Its  proximity  to  Africa  makes  Aden 
an  easy  resort  for  Somali  emigrants  in  search  of  employment, 
a  fact  which  accounts  for  the  levy  of  our  Somali  contingent 
within  its  precincts. 

Feb.  13. — A  case  of  small-pox  on  board!  The  patient  is 
one  of  the  Nubian  volunteers,  and  its  appearance  at  once  con- 
centrated my  attention  on  the  means  of  preventing  the  spread 
of  the  disease.  I  have  a  good  supply  of  lymph  by  me  which 
was  purchased  by  Mr.  Stanley  from  Edward  Prichard,  Druggist,, 
of  10,  Vigo  Street,  Regent  Street,  London.  So  I  recommended 
immediate  vaccination  of  all  the  members  of  the  Expedition, 
to  which  they  consented — excepting  one  European,  who  is  an 
anti  -  vaccinationist.  Accordingly,  I  proceeded  at  once  to 
vaccinate  Mr.  Stanley  (in  four  places) ;  also  the  remaining 
Europeans,  and  the  black  boy,  Baruti,  were  subjected  to  the 
same  operation.  Eighteen  of  the  Nubians  were  then  vaccinated 
(three  places  each).     The  rest  of  the  Nubian  party  had  but 


14  EXFEr.IEXCES  IX  EQUATOHIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

recently  been  vaccinated,  so  I  did  not  tliink  it  necessary  to  do 
-the  like  for  them.  Mr.  Bonny  has  also  been  re-vaccinated 
■but  a  short  time  ago. 

The  temperature  of  my  small-pox  patient  was  103 -4 °  F.  I 
had  him  immediately  removed  to  one  of  the  boats  swung  above 
the  bulwarks,  where  ho  is  perfectly  isolated.  This  man's  name 
is  Said  Mahommed  Abdul :  he  has  never  been  vaccinated,  so 
that  the  occurrence  of  his  case  is  no  argument  against  vaccina- 
tion or  re-vaccination. 

.  Feb.  14. — I  vaccinated  the  two  interpreters  and  two  Nubian 
officers. 

My  small-pox  patient  was  now  placed  in  one  of  tlie  boats 
iibove  the  awning,  so  as  to  isolate  him  the  more  completely, 
.and  thereby  prevent,  as  far  as  possible,  the  spread  of  infection. 
During  my  s})are  hours  I  took  some  lessons  from  the  first 
•officer  in  reading  the  sextant.  ,The  mutual  relationships  of  the 
■several  angles  of  incidence  and  reflection  proved  rather  puzzling 
.at  first ;  but,  as  my  tutor  displayed  patience  and  sympathy,  I 
■soon  commenced  to  make  a  little  progress  in  the  domain  of 
practical  optics. 

We  passed  Cape  Cfuardafui  at  11.30  a.m.,  and  entered  the 
broad  expanse  of  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  temperature  is  going 
up,  and  the  stuffiness  of  the  atmosphere  below  is  becoming- 
more  marked  every  hour. 

I  slei)t  on  deck,  as  the  cabin  was  unl»earably  hot. 
Feb.  15.— xV  very  heavy  shower  of  rain  fell  at  11  a.m.     Tlie 
atmosphere  appears  to  be  growing  moister  as  we  are  widening 
•our  distance  from  the  arid  surroundings  of  the  Eed  Sea. 

In  the  afternoon  Nelson,  Stairs,  and  myself  practised  shoot- 
ing with  the  revolver.  Each  of  us  succeeded  in  breaking  a 
botth'. 

There  arc   four  or  five  German  passengers  on  board,  who 
api)ear  to  spend  their  whole  time  in  reading,  taking  notes, 
and  refreshing  themselves  with  beer.      They  are,  I  believe, 
about  to  form  a  trading  company  at  Zanzibar. 
Heavy  rain  fell  during  the  night. 

I  slept  on  deck,  for  not  only  did  I  find  the  stuffy  heat  of  the 
cabin  objectionable,  but  the  wlmli!  |il;u'e  was  alive  with  cock- 
roaches and  small  red  ants. 

Feb.  1(). — The  atmosphere  is  now  very  damp  and  relaxing. 
This   was   more   especially  felt  at  night.     One  of  the   most 


1887.]  FROM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  15 

prominent  phenomena  at  this  stage  of  our  voyage  is  the 
gymnastics  of  the  flying -fish.  Specimens  are  continually  flying 
on  board.  They  ajipear  to  fly  almost  invariably  against  the 
ivind,  and  they  habitually  i)enetrate  the  waves  in  their  fli'>-ht. 
The  usual  length  of  their  aerial  course  appears  to  be  about 
20  to  30  feet,  and  they  generally  rise  about  two  feet  above 
the  water.  They  are  extremely  numerous,  and  fly  sometimes 
t.singly,  sometimes  in  shoals  of  considerable  number. 

I  wrote  out  the  following  "  Rules  "  which  were  publislied  in 
JMr.  Stanley's  "  Order  Book  "  for  the  guidance  of  his  staff*,  &c. 

EULES   FOR   THE    PkESERVATIOX   OF   HEALTH    IN   THE    TrOPICS. 

Water. — All  drinking-water — no  matter  how  sparkling  and  pure — should 
lie  invariably  boiled  to  insure  its  freedom  from  dangerous  constituents.  Cold 
weak  tea,  without  sugar  or  milk,  is  best  for  the  march.  Water  should  always 
be  drawn  from  the  centre  of  the  stream. 

Sun. — Xo  precautions  can  be  too  great  for  protecting  the  head  from  the 
<Hrect  rays  of  the  sun.  The  use  of  a  proper  head-dress  and  umbrella,  also  a 
.spinal  pad  for  the  morning  and  evening  sun,  is  judicious. 

Cliills,  draughts,  sitting  in  damp  clothes,  especially  when  heated  after 
-violent  exercise  and  copious  perspiration — also  cooling  of  the  body  suddenly 
in  any  way — are  certain  to  be  followed  by  fever. 

Clothing. — The  bodily  temperature  should  be  kept  as  equable  as  possible. 
.Loosely  fitting  woollen  clothes  are  preferable.  Light  Kommerhund  should  be 
worn  day  and  night.  On  halting  after  a  march,  put  on  a  wrapper  so  as  to 
■cool  gradually  ;  get  under  cover  and  change  if  possible. 

Sleep  as  far  as  possible  off  the  ground,  and  always  imder  mosquito  curtains 
at  night. 

Diet  should  be  plain :  meat — rejecting  the  fat ;  fish,  vegetables  well  boiled; 
.fruit,  rice,  and  cereals. 

Early  mornmf/  ....     Cafe-au-lait. 

Mid-day  meal  .....     Dejeuner  with  fruit. 
Evening  ......     Dinner  without  fruit. 

Alcohol  habitually,  esi;ecially  during  the  day,  is  most  dangerous ;  medicinallv, 
■on  occasions,  it  is  very  useful. 

Tub  in  the  early  morning,  or  at  the  end  of  march,  before  cooling  :  never 
while  digestion  is  going  on,  and  always  tepid,  if  possible. 

Camp. — Select  highland  ]jlateau  near  water  supply  :  don't  disturb  the  soil, 
avoid  ravines,  never  to  leeward  of  a  swamp,  unless  separated  by  a  belt  of 
trees  or  a  river.  Site  of  latrine  should  be  selected  immediately  on  halting. 
-Avoid  camping  under  trees. 

(Signed)         T.  H.  Parke,  Surgeon  Army  Medical  Staff, 
In  medical  charge  E.  P.  E.  Expedition. 

Feb.  17. — This  was  the  fourth  morning  of  my  numerous  vac- 
cination cases.  Among  the  whites  in  only  two  cases,  however, 
has  it  taken  well;  those  were  Lieutenant  Stairs  and  AVilliam 
Hoffman,  Mr.  Stanley's  servant.  In  all  the  others  the  local 
iindications   are   but   slight,  although  not   one   of  them  had 


16  EXPERIEXVES  IX  EQUATOBIAL   AFIilCA.         [1887, 

been  vaccinated  before  for  the  past  ten  years.  Of  tlie  blacks, 
one  has  taken  well,  some  partially,  the  remainder  failed — the 
only  local  result  being  a  slight  inflammatory  blush  around  each 
point  of  insertion.  This,  however,  is,  I  have  no  doubt,  due  to- 
the  fact  that  the  great  majority  of  them  have  either  been 
vaccinated  or  have  had  small-pox  at  a  recent  date.  Something- 
of  the  result  is  also  due,  perhaps,  to  climatic  influences. 

Captain  Shepherd  (of  the  S.  8.  Oriental)  corrected  my  aneroid 
to-day.  The  case  of  small-pox  on  board  is  of  the  confluent 
variety. 

Feb.  18. — At  9  a.m.  we  crossed  the  Equator. 

AVe  saw  one  shark  to-day,  close  to  the  vessel. 

I  instructed  the  European  members  of  the  Expedition  in 
l)andaging,  stopping  hcxnnorrhages,  setting  fractures,  and  re- 
suscitation of  the  apparently  drowned.  Three  of  the  men 
developed  feverish  sym})toms,  so  I  had  them  at  once  placed  in 
"quarantine"  by  jiuttiug  them  in  one  of  the  boats  over  the 
awning — corresponding  in  position  to  the  boat  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  steamer  where  the  small-pox  case  was  placed. 

As  the  period  of  incubation  is  almost  invariably  twelve  days- 
in  the  cases  due  to  infection,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that 
those  cases — if  they  are  to  prove  genuine  small-pox — must 
have  residtod  from  exposure  prior  to  the  date  of  embarkation. 
Some  of  them  had  come  to  our  party  from  Khartoum.  Of  the 
three : — 

Hamed  j\[ohammed  had  small-pox  8  years  ago. 

Fathel  ]\[oulah  Houssain     „  „         ? 

Said  Fadel  Allah  „  „         in  boyhood. 

[These  cases  were,  of  course,  anxiously  watched  ;  but  only  ai 
very  few  vesicles  appeared  on  each,  and  these  chiefly  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  seat  of  vaccination.  They  never  pro- 
ceeded to  the  i)ustular  stage,  so  that  I  made  up  my  mind  that 
they  were  results  of  the  operation,  and  due  to  lymphatic  irri- 
tation. No  case  after  the  original  one  developed  pronounced 
symptoms  of  small-pox.] 

Fed.  1!). — We  arrived  at  Lamu  about  4  r.M.  On  going 
nshore,  one  of  the  first  objects  of  interest  to  wliich  my  attention 
was  directed  was  a  huge  collection  of  blcaclicd  bones,  including 
the  skeletons  of  several  hundred  men  who  had  been  killed  in 
war  with  one  of  the  sultans  of  Zanzibar.  They  decorate  the 
situ  of  the  battle-field,  situated  close  to  an  old  tower — resembling 


iS87.]  FR02I  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  17 

in  form  one  of  our  own  martello  towers — and  near  the  entrance 
of  the  harbour.  The  mails  were  just  leaving  there,  so  I  wrote 
two  letters. 

Feb.  20. — I  went  ashore  with  Capt.  Shepherd,  the  medical 
•officer  of  the  ship,  and  Mr.  Jameson,  for  some  shooting.  Jame- 
son shot  a  pair  of  red-legged  partridges.  I  managed  to  get 
one.  I  also  succeeded  in  wounding  a  gazelle,  but  had  no  time 
to  track  it. 

At  9  A.M.  we  steamed  away  from  Lamu,  taking  the  Eev.  j\[r. 
Wakefield  (missionary)  as  passenger  to  Zanzibar. 

Feb.  21.— We  arrived  at  Mombasa  at  9  a.m.  This  is  a 
very  pretty  place,  and  garnished  with  old  fortifications.  I 
counted  twenty-six  obsolete  pieces  of  cannon  placed  around. 
The  missionaries  have  a  large  station  here,  and  appear  to 
occupy  the  best  houses  of  the  "  West  End."  They  have  a 
steamer  of  their  own,  and  a  convenient  harbour  is  formed  by  an 
inlet  of  the  sea,  which  just  faces  the  town.  Palm  trees  are 
very  numerous  in  this  neighbourhood. 

We  moved  away  at  10.30  a.m.,  and  anchored  for  the  night 
near  some  islands.     We  caught  some  small  fish  to-day. 

The  three  cases  which  had  been  retained  in  temporary  qua- 
rantine were  released  to-day,  as  no  serious  symptoms  had 
■developed,  and  their  temperature  has  for  the  past  few  days 
been  at  normal. 

Feb.  22. — We  arrived  at  Zanzibar  at  noon.  Mr.  Stanley 
went  on  shore  immediately,  and  proceeded  to  the  residence  of 
the  British  (Acting)  Consul-General,  JMr.  Holmwood.  He 
deputed  me  to  inspect  the  S.  S.  Madura,  and  tell  off  the  places 
for  the  men  who  were  to  be  brought  on  the  Expedition.  There 
was  ample  room,  the  Madura  being  registered  to  carry  750 
between  decks.  All  the  men,  with  their  equipments,  &c.,  were 
■changed  from  the  Oriental  to  the  Madura,  under  charge  of 
Major  Barttelot  and  myself.  The  small-pox  case  I  left  to  be 
taken  care  of,  and  sent  to  hospital  in  reliable  hands.  Two 
of  the  suspected  cases  (which  I  had  formerly  isolated)  I  still 
keep  under  personal  observation,  althougli  I  know  that  small- 
pox is  not  really  threatened.  Stairs,  Nelson,  Jephson,  and 
Jameson  very  busy  with  the  ammunition  in  the  powder 
magazine. 

Feb.  23. — Ash  Wednesday. — Stairs,  Nelson,  Jephson,  and 
Jameson  left   for   the  magazine  at    6  a.m.,   to  complete  the 

c 


18  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887, 

arraugements  about  the  ammunition.  I  visited  Mr.  Mackenzie^ 
(agent  B.  I.  S.  .S.  Co.),  and  found  that,  according  to  promise,  he 
had  had  tlie  small-pox  case  carefully  removed  from  on  board  the 
Oriental  during  the  night,  and  comfortably  looked  after.  He 
promised  to  have  him  (as  Mr.  Stanley  directed)  sent  back  to 
Egypt  when  convalescence  was  established.  I  called  on  Dr. 
Hussey,  the  consulate-surgeon  who  had  examined  all  our  Zan- 
zibaris  and  had  certified  them  as  medically  "  fit."  On  enquiry 
I  learned  from  him  that  the  vaccine  tubes  which  he  got  from 
England  nearly  always  failed.  He  received  six  tubes  from 
London  but  a  short  time  before,  and  they  had  all  proved  useless. 
1  dined  with  him  in  the  evening.  The  champagne  he  received 
from  the  British  islands  is  certainly  of  a  more  effective  character 
than  the  vaccine  lymph.  But  so  much  always  depends  on  the 
host  in  these  matters  ! — almost  as  much  as  on  the  surgeon  in 
case  of  an  operation. 

Afterwards  we  visited  the  sultan's  gardens,  where  we  found 
a  band  playing.  We  also  went  to  the  tennis  courts.  Quite  a 
numl)cr  of  Europeans  were  there  in  full  enjoyment  of  the 
popular  game — including  three  ladies. 

Dr.  Hussey  introduced  me  to  the  famous  Tippu-Tib,  the 
ivory  hunter  and  ex-slave-dealer.  He  is  certainly  a  yevj 
remarkable  man,  both  physically  and  morally.  His  presence 
is  very  impressive,  standing  as  he  does  nearly  six  feet,  with 
bright,  intelligent  blacl?  eyes,  and  displaying  manners  of 
im])erial  dignity  and  courtesy.  His  career  has  been  a  most 
romantic  one :  first  a  slave,  then  an  adventurer  from  Zanzibar 
t(j  trade  in  ivory  and  slaves,  he  has  now  succeeded  in  esta- 
blishing himself  as  an  uncrowned  king  on  the  banks  of  the- 
jM  id-Congo.  His  personality  is  altogether  an  extremely  in- 
teresting one. 

In  the  afternoon  I  bought  a  few  useful  medicines,  strolled 
about  the  town,  and  stared  at  its  various  sights.  The  denizens 
of  tlio  place  appear  to  be  of  very  mingled  racial  origin  ;  chiefly, 
1  believe,  on  account  of  its  convenient  j)osition  as  a  resort  for 
the  slave-dealers.  They  are  not  at  all  typically  Negro  ;  nor,  of 
course,  are  thoy  Asiatic.  The  place  swarms  with  enormous 
]iuiid)crs  of  loafers  wlio  are  anxious  to  find  employment  as 
carriers,  iVc 

Tiie  lUilak  Pasha,  or  non-commissioned  officer,  named 
[Mohammed   Doud,   whoso  finger  I  had  ami)utated,  was  dis- 


1887.]  FROM   ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  19 

charged  from  Ins  hospital  privileges  to-day,  and  sent  back  to. 
duty. 

Feb.  24. — At  10  a.m.  our  Zanzibari  contingent  commenced 
to  embark.  They  were  conveyed  on  board  in  batches  of  fifty. 
each.  Although  not  so  large  men,  they  seem  more  active  pro- 
portionally— smarter — than  the  Nubians,  and  I  am  disposed 
to  expect  better  service  from  them  for  the  purposes  of  our, 
Expedition,  owing  to  my  experience  of  the  Nubians  on  the 
Nile.  Arrangements  were  made  for  giving  excellent  and, 
copious  rations  to  all  the  members  of  our  force. 

At  6  P.M.  we  dined  with  the  British  Acting  Consul-Generali. 

When  all  the  Zanzibaris  were  on  board  the  Madura,  she^ 
steamed  out  to  sea  for  two  miles,  and  dropped  anchor ;  aui 
important  safeguard  against  desertion. 

Tippu-Tib  also  embarked — with  ninety-six  of  his  followers-:: 
thirty-five  of  these  are  members  of  his  harem. 

The  average  age  of  the  members  of  the  Zanzibari  cour- 
tingent,  who  are  now  employed  to  convey  our  goods  across  the 
Dark  Continent,  is  about  twenty-seven.  They  are  rather  wellr- 
built  men,  strong  and  muscular;  average  height,  about  5-ft.. 
9  in.  The  native  Zanzibaris  have  some  Arab  blood  in  their, 
veins ;  but  a  large  proportion  of  our  men  were  captur-ed  as. 
slaves  when  young.  They  accordingly  include  representatives- 
of  nearly  every  tribe  in  Equatorial  Africa.  They  seem,  to. 
be  jolly,  good-humoured  creatures ;  and  create  a  great  deal! 
of  amusement  by  story-telling  and  facetious  observations-  oui 
every  passing  incident. 

The  Emin  Pasha  Relief  Expedition  was  now  on  board,  and. 
is  as  follows  : — 

Mr.  H.  jNI.  Stanley,  liis  servant,  aiul  hi.s  7  Britii^h  officers         .  0' 

Zanzibaris — men      ........  600> 

boys 23 

Soudanese  or  Nuljians       .......  G2 

Somalis 13 

Tippu-Tib  and  his  f'.UoAvers        ......  07 

804 

[Four  officers  and  two  men  joined  the  Expedition  after- 
wards— making  a  total  strength  of  810,  inclusive  of  two  inter- 
preters.] 

Early  in  the  morning  we  steamed  away.  At  9  a.m.  the 
Soudanese  and  the  Zanzibaris  had  a  free  fight.     It  originated 

c  2 


20  EXFEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.       [1887. 

in  the  crowding  down  of  the  Nubians  by  the  overwhelming- 
numbers  of  the  other  party.  A  decidedly  animated  scene 
followed.  They  pushed,  pulled,  and  clawed  one  another  ;  and, 
as  the  excitement  proceeded,  they  laid  hold  of  whatever  crude 
weapons  happened  to  be  within  reach  to  use  upon  their  op- 
ponents. Fragments  of  firewood  and  stray  pieces  of  plank 
were  utilised  for  this  purpose,  and  a  large  number  of  wounds 
of  various  aspects — incised  and  contused — were  provided  for 
my  special  care.  One  Nubian  had  his  left  middle  finger 
broken ;  and  a  Zanzibari  was  disabled,  by  having  both  bones 
of  his  fore-arm  badly  smashed.  The  other  injuries  were  less 
considerable. 

The  men  were  now  distributed  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  his  officers 
as  follows : — 

Barttelot  received  charge  of  the  62  Nubians  and  two 
interpreters. 

Stairs,  Jameson,  Jephson,  Nelson,  Parke,  111  each:  this 
enumeration  including  six  chiefs  and  six  under-chiefs.  Each 
company  was  thus  commanded  by  an  English  officer. 

This  was  a  very  busy  day  for  me,  professionally.  I 
vaccinated  forty-three  men.  Tippu-Tib  and  twelve  of  his 
wives  were  sea-sick,  and  I  prescribed  some  "Eno"  for  each. 
Mr.  Stanley  has  induced  this  potentate  to  accompany  us,  and 
has  contracted  with  him  for  the  conveyance  of  loads,  etc.  He 
is  also  to  be  appointed  Governor  of  "  Stanley  Falls  "  by  King 
Leopold  of  Belgium,  on  Mr.  Stanley's  recommendation,  at  a 
salary  of  £30  per  month. 

We  have  now  commenced  to  let  our  beards  grow  (except 
3Ir.  Stanley,  who  always  shaves). 

Fer.  2(5. — Mr.  Stanley  has  now  issued  "  (roneral  Orders," 
of  which  the  following  is  a  copy  : 

S.S.  Madura.     26  Fchruanj,  1887. 
1.  Ofliccrscoinmaiiding  cuinpaiiics  in  the  Euiiu  Pasha  Echcf  Expedition  are 


fulluws  :— 

Kdinund  Ikrttelot,  Major 

.     Co.  A, 

,  S' 

oudanese. 

AVilliain  Grant  Stairs,  CajitMiu 

„   B, 

Z; 

uizibaris. 

IMiert  Henry  Nelson,       „ 

" 

M<pi\nteiiey  Jeplisun,          „ 

„  1), 

J.  S.  Jameson,                    „ 

*l{ose  Tr<><i]>                       „ 

l'\ 

Thomas  I  leazle  Parke,      „ 

•       "  ^'' 

Somalis  l'^[ 

*  Tliis    company  was   never   inider  Mr.   Troup,   but  was  transferred  to 
Surgcun  I'arke  in  conjunction  with  C  Company. 


1887.]  FROM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  21 

Mr.  William  Bonny  takes  charge,  until  fartlier  oiders,  of  transport,  and 
riding  animals,  as  well  as  gouts. 

2.  Each  officer  is  personally  responsible  for  the  good  behaviour  of  his 
company,  and  for  the  good  condition  of  arms  and  accoutrements  after 
distribution. 

3.  Officers  will  inspect  frequently,  when  on  shore,  cartridge  pouches  of 
their  men  to  see  that  the  cartridges  are  not  lost,  or  sold  to  natives  or  Arabs 
en  route.  For  an  intentional  loss  of  one  cartridge  a  fine  of  one  dollar  will  be 
imposed;  two  cartridges,  two  dollars,  and  a  corporal  punishment  of  five 
strokes  with  a  rod. 

4.  For  trivial  offences  a  slight  corporal  punishment  only  can  be  inflicted, 
and  this  as  seldom  as  possible.  Officers  will  exercise  a  proper  discretion  in 
this  matter,  and  endeavour  to  avoid  irritating  their  men  by  being  too  exacting, 
or  unnecessarily  fussy  :  it  has  been  usual  with  me  to  be  greatly  forbearing, 
allowing  three  pardons  for  one  punishmeuf. 

5.  Officers  should  endeavour  to  remember  that  the  men's  labour  is  severe ; 
their  burdens  are  heavy,  the  climate  hot,  the  marches  fatiguing,  and  the 
rations  poor  and  scanty.  Under  such  conditions,  human  nature  becomes  soon 
irritable,  therefore,  punishments  should  be  judicious,  to  prevent  straining  the 
patience  of  the  men;  nevertheless,  discipline  must  be  taught,  and,  when 
necessary,  enforced  for  the  peneral  well-being  of  the  Expedition. 

6.  Serious  offences  affecting  the  Expedition  generally  must  be  reported 
to  me. 

7.  While  on  ship-board  one  officer  is  hereby  detailed  to  perform  the  duties 
of  "  officer  of  the  day." 

Officer  commanding  Co.  A,  begins  the  duty  ; 
„  „  B,  succeeds  next  dny; 

and  so  on.  The  officer  of  the  day  is  the  executive  officer  for  that  day.  He 
has  to  see  the  rations  distributed,  quarters  of  the  men  cleaned — on  deck  and 
below.  No  smoking  or  fire  permitted  between  decks.  No  fighting  or  loud 
wrangling  to  be  permitted  anywhere.  He  sees  that  the  officers  commanding 
companies  detail  their  guards.  Soudanese  guards  on  either  side  of  the  deck, 
to  pfivent  Zanzibaris  crowding  on  the  Soudanese  quarters.  A  detail  from 
each  Zanzibari  company  to  guard  around  second-class  cabin  at  top  of  com- 
panion, to  guard  cooking  fires,  to  look  after  the  water,  to  see  that  the 
transport  and  riding  and  provision  anim^ds  are  fed  and  watered  ;  in  brief,  to 
see  that  every  duty,  great  nnd  small,  that  ought  to  be  done  for  the  general 
health  and  well-bumg  of  the  Expedition  is  performed.  For  the  petty  details 
of  such  duties  officers  Avill  applj^  to  Commanding  Officei'  A  Company. 

8.  The  officer  of  the  day  should  wear  or  carry  a  sword,  and  be  distin- 
guished by  a  sash.  He  should  report  to  me  direct  anything  beyond  his 
power  to  remedy,  or  for  any  instructions  affecting  the  Expedition. 

9.  Officers  will  consult  their  interests  by  poying  deference  to  the  lawful 
orders  of  the  "  officer  of  the  day." 

Henry  M.  Stanley, 

Commanding  Emin  Pasha  Relief  Expedition. 

To-day  I  again  administered  some  "Eno"  to  Tippu-Tib  and 
the  twelve  members  of  his  harem,  who  still  continued  to  suffer 
from  sea-sickness.  Companies  were  told  off.  I  have  now 
charge  of  Troup's  company,  in  addition  to  my  own,  till  we 
get  to  the  Congo.  Company  G  is  constituted  for  special 
service. 

I  vaccinated  sixty  men,  and  looked  to  fifteen  sick.     Some 


'22  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.       [1887. 

■of  these  Lave  ulcers :  one  especially,  a  iironounced  speci- 
men of  the  "  irritable  ulcer,"  which  is  situated  on  the  inner 
■malleolus  (rio;ht  ankle). 

The  weather  is  not  very  warm  now,  Lut  ^vas  very  damp 
■  and  close  to-day. 

My  servants'  names  are  Muftah  and  Kondo-Bin-Jumar.* 
The  latter  is  my  gun-bearer. 

Feb.  27. — Sunday. — Thirty  cases  on  the  sick  list.     One  of 
"these  is  a  case  of  pneumonia.     I  vaccinated  fourteen  Zanzi- 
.  'baris. 

This  being  Sabbath  Day,  I  was  deputed  to  fulfil  the  general 
duties  of  clergyman,  including  the  reading  of  prayers,  &c. 
This  first  experience,  of  the  important  office  made  me  feel 
rather  nervous. 

Feb.  2S. — I  vaccinated  nine  of  our  men.  Felt  very  unwell ; 
the  close  atmosphere  is  very  trying.  No  free  circulation  of 
air  to  promote  evaporation  from  one's  skin,  and  moderate  the 
oppressive  temperature;  and  so  much  moisture  floating  that 
the  process  would  be  a  slow  one,  even  with  the  freest  renewal 
of  atmospheric  gases.  The  hygienic  importance  of  latent  heat 
was  never  more  fully  impressed  on  my  mind  than  it  has  been 
during  the  course  of  this  weary  day. 

Mar.  1. — Took  my  turn  as  "  orderly,  officer  "  ;  was  present 
at  the  distribution  of  rations  at  5  a.m.  At  9  a.m.,  saw  all 
'tween  decks  cleared  and  cleaned.  Went  round  with  the 
Captain  at  10  a.m. 

[Disinfectant  powder  was  shaken  all  over  'tween  decks,  and 
this  process  was  repeated  afterwards  on  each  succeeding 
<lay.]  ^ 

At  7  P.M.  I  saw  all  our  men  in  bed,  and  all  lights  put  out. 
A  night  visit  had  to  be  paid  later  on,  to  see  that  all  was 
•correct  and  everything  quiet. 

I  <lid  not  feel  quite  so  seedy  as  yesterday  ;  the  additional 
interest  attaching  to  my  extra  duties  enlivened  me  a  little. 
'The  atmosphere  is  still,  however,  very  opi)ressive.  The  odours 
of  our  various  disinfectants  fill  the  place,  and  they  are  not  all 
of  the  variety  which  promotes  sensuous  gratification,  but  wo 
<;an  only  console  ourselves  with  the  fact  that  without  them, 
respiration  would  bo  very  much  less  enjoyable  than  it  is 
even  now. 

*  Translated,  Sheep  the  son  of  Fiiday. 


1887.]  FROM  ALEXANDRIA    TO    CAPE   TOWN.  23 

Mar.  2. — The  daily  rations  of  our  men  on  board  were 
portioned  out  as  follows  : — 

Meat    ......  -J  lb.  (tliree  times  weekly;. 

Rice      .  .  .  . .        .  .  1  lb.  8  ounces. 

Suaar    ......  1  ounce. 

Biscuit ......  8  ounces. 

Ghee 2       „ 

Potatoes  .....  4       „ 

Fish 4       „ 

Dahl 2       „ 

Tea       ......  1  ounce. 

Curry  stuffs  (made  from  onions,  chillies,  turmeric,  garlic  and 

black  pejiper.) 

Salt       ......  1  ounce. 

The  above  represents  a  very  substantial  bill  of  fare,  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  be  discontented  with  it.  We  can  only 
hope  that  the  supply  will  last  till  we  find  the  unknown 
stranger  of  whom  we  are  in  search. 

I  vaccinated  three  men  who  came  up  voluntarily  for  the 
operation. 

The  fact  that  the  infection  of  our  small-pox  case  did  not 
spread  I  attribute  entirely  to  the  complete  isolation,  and  ths 
strict  hygienic  measures  which  have  been  carried  out.  Liberal 
distribution  of  disinfectant  powder  was  practised  on  the 
Oriental  as  well  as  on  the  MadiLra.  Although  the  infect- 
ing power  of  the  small-pox  virus  is  very  great,  still  it  can 
be  thoroughly  kept  in  check  by  a  rigidly  complete  use  of 
iintiseptic  precautions  ;  and  the  prompt  adoption  of  vaccination 
has  given,  of  course,  an  additional  safeguard  to  our  men  and 
ourselves. 

Mae.  3. — I  allowed  the  two  "  suspected  "  cases,  which,  up 
to  the  present,  had  been  strictly  isolated,  to  come  down  from 
the  boat  where  they  had  been  under  observation,  as  there 
is  no  room  for  any  anticipation  of  danger  now. 

Vaccinated  four  men  who  came  up  voluntarily. 

We  had  very  rough  weather ;  steamer  rolling  a  good  deal — 
•enough  to  make  a  great  many  cases  of  sea-sickness,  and 
uneasiness  sufficient  to  keep  the  majority  in  a  state  of  dis- 
comfort. 

jMar.  4. — At  7  P.M.  we  passed  Durban. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  Nubians,  Zanzibaris,  and  Somal's 
have  had  small-pox.  There  is  no  disputing  the  evidence  of 
this  fact  which  is  furnished  by  their  appearance. 


24  EXFEF.IEXCES   IX  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.       [1887, 

Mae.  5.— Another  very  rough  day.  The  waves  clashed 
quite  across  the  deck,  drenching  everything  in  their  course^. 
including  our  poor  donkeys  and  goats,  which  seemed  to  like 
the  process  even  less  than  ourselves. 

Sick  list  includes  about  twenty  of  the  men ;  one  of  these  is 
a  case  of  dysentery.  The  case  is  not,  however,  a  very  severe 
one.  I  do  hope  that  we  will  not  have  too  much  of  this 
disease  when  we  come  to  march  across  the  "Dark  Conti- 
nent," as  an  epidemic  of  it  would  be  a  fearful  plague,  and  it 
is  so  likely  to  appear  in  malarious  districts  when  men  are 
exposed  to  much  privation. 

I  had  only  sixty  tubes  of  lymph  to  start  with ;  therefore  I 
at  first  vaccinated  only  those  who  never  have  had  small-pox,, 
or  were  never  vaccinated  before.  Most  of  the  others  I  vacci- 
nated from  those  who  had  taken  successfully.  I  purpose  con- 
tinuing this  practice,  as  I  cannot  obtain  another  supply  of 
lymph  now,  and  it  will  be,  of  course,  as  effective — probably 
more  reliable.  A  large  proportion  of  our  Zanzibaris  have 
been  already  vaccinated,  comparatively  recently,  and  a  good 
many  of  them  have  had  small-pox.  I  must  take  every  pre- 
caution against  the  disease,  for  Africans  generally  appear  to 
be  very  prone  to  it,  and  I  know  that  some  of  the  highest 
authorities  on  epidemiology  affirm  dogmatically  that  Central 
Africa  is  the  true  home  of  small-pox,  just  as  Bengal  notoriously 
is  of  cholera. 

Mak.  G,  Sunday, — At  noon  we  passed  Port  Elizabeth  (Algoa 
Bay). 

The  past  night  was  very  stormy.  All  jiorts  had  to  be 
closed,  and  the  donkeys  slung.     Some  rain  fell  subsequently. 

Prayers  were  read  by  Jephson.  He  performed  his  clerical 
duties  with  commendable  religious  gravity. 

I\[ar.  7. — Attended  to  about  fifteen  sick.  After  going  my 
rounds  1  mentioned  to  ^\\\  Stanley  that  there  were  three  or 
four  of  this  number  whom  I  did  not  expect  to  be  able  to. 
march  after  landing,  and  that  I  thought  it  would  be  well  to 
leave  them  Ik  hi  ml. 

Wrote  letters,  one  of  wliieh  was  to  J.  R.  of  the  OOth  Eifles, 
to  say  that  his  brotlier's  tond.stone  had  arrived  at  Zanzibar. 


CHAPTER  II. 

FROM    CArE    TOWN   TO   LEOPOLDVILLE,    VIA   BANANA   POINT. 

Occident  to  cue  C)f  Tippu-Tib's  Zanzibaris— Our  reception  at  Cape  Town — - 
Letter  from  Suriieou-Geueral  Faught — My  sick  patients  on  board  ship — ■ 
Conclusion  of  the  work  of  vaccination  :  remarlvs  thereon  —  Packing 
together  my  baggage  and  medicines  ibr  the  march — Deaths  from  pneu- 
monia and  heat-apoplexy — We  arrive  at  the  moutli  of  the  Congo — 
Zanzibari  burial  service — Banana  Point  Cemetery — The  Congo  Paver  at 
Ponta  da  Lenlia — Boma — Camp  at  Mataddi — A  recovery  from  brain 
concussion — Carelessness  of  the  Zanzibaris  as  regards  thtir  invalids — ■ 
Some  cases  of  sunstroke  —  'i'he  start  for  Leopoldville  —  Crossing  the 
Mposo  Eiver  —  Palabaila  Mission  Station — Tlie  march  to  Congo  la 
Lemba — Fording  the  Bembezi  Eiver — Illness  of  Mr.  Stanley — Kind 
entertainment  at  Banza  Manfelca — I  lose  my  waterproof  coat  in  crossing 
the  Kwilu  River — Heavy  rains — Delays  caused  through  tiie  straggling  of 
the  Zanzibari  carriers^Mutinous  attitude  of  our  Nubians  at  Lukungu 
Station — Some  rifles  missing — -Fever  among  the  Somalis — We  bridge 
the  Npoko  liiver — A  provoking  misadventnre — Major  Barttelot  and  the 
Soudanese — The  Afr.can  elephant — Arrival  at  Lutete  Mission  Station — 
Ivorj'  caravans — A  native  market — By  the  aid rf  the  steel-boat  Advame 
\ye  cross  the  Inkissi  Piiver — An  unpleasant  drenching,  causing  subse- 
quent illness — -We  reach  Leopoldville — Engagement  of  the  Upper  Congo 

[,  •  Eiver  steamers — Yisiis  and  piesents  from  local  chiefs — Major  Baittelot 
and  I,  with  our  com]^anies,  embark  on  the  stern-wheeler  Stanley — ■ 
Chilcicanga  or  native  brtarl — Palavers  v.ith  native  chiefs  in  order  to 
obtain  guides — Incidents  of  the  march  to  Mswata — We  employ  our  time 
by  cutting  wood  fur  the  steamers.    ■ 

Mak.  8. — We  arrived  at  Simon's  Bay  at  9  a.m.  The  agent 
of  the  B.I.S.S.  Co.  came  on  board  and  bronght  with  him 
some  telegrams  and  letters — one  from  the  Eoyal  Naval 
Club,  making  Mr.  Stanley  and  his  officers  all  honorary 
members.  At  3  p.m.  we  went  on  shore.  I  saw  the  jDaiiers  at 
the  club,  having  by  this  time  developed  considerable  curiosity 
to  know  what  is  going  on  in  the  civilised  portions  of  the 
earth. 

Mae.  9. — One  of  Tippu-Tib's  men,  a  fine  young  Zanzibari 
of  about  twenty-two  years  of  age,  met  with  a  bad  accident  last 
night.  He  fell — somewhere  about  3  a.m. — from  the  top  of 
one  of  the  deck-houses ;  and,  when  picked  up,  was  quite  un- 


26  EXPEBIE^X'ES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.        [1887. 

conscious.  Wlieu  I  saw  him  lie  was  suflering-  from  symptoms 
of  concussion  of  the  brain ;  liis  face  was  a  good  deal  bruised 
.and  swollen,  and  he  was  bleeding  copiously  from  the  lips 
Kind  gums.  There  was  no  evidence  of  fracture  or  dislocation. 
I  at  once  applied  cold  to  his  head,  and  gave  him  six  grains 
■of  calomel,  with  five  grains  of  James's  powder.  I  also  procured 
him  some  tea  and  milk,  which  I  made  him  swallow,  and  placed 
him  comfortably  in  bed.  I  was  afraid  of  intracranial  haemor- 
rhage, as  the  symptoms  of  concussion  ^\ere  not  typically 
marked,  but  were  somewhat  mixed  up  with  those  of  com- 
pression. The  breathing  was  rather  heavy,  although  not 
exactly  stertorous,  and  the  pulse  more  full  than  in  a  true  case 
of  pure  concussion.     AVe  arrived  at  Cape  Town  at  7  p.m. 

5Iar.  10. — At  5.30  A.M.  we  raised  anchor  and  came  along- 
•side  a  jetty  for  the  purpose  of  coaling. 

Visited  my  patient,  who  still  remained  unconscious, 

A  number  of  peoi)le  came  on  board  here  to  see  Mr.  Stanley, 
and  have  a  look  at  Tippu-Tib,  and  the  Expedition  generally. 

I  also  received  the  following  letter  from  the  P.  j\I.  0.  (Deputy 
Surgeon-General  Faught) : — 

"  Dear  Dr.  Parke, 

"  Can  I  be  of  any  service  to  you  in  any  way  ?  I  really  tliiuk  that  the 
best  advice  I  can  give  you  is  to  use  quinine  freely  as  a  prophylactic ;  certainly, 
with  the  Europeans  of  the  Expedition.  I  quite  heartily  congratulate  you  on 
your  good  fortune  in  being  appointed  to  the  Expedition ;  and  it  is  also  a 
cause  of  congratulatiun  to  our  department  that  one  of  us  has  been  selected. 

"  Yours  very  truly, 

"J.  G.  Faught. 
"  P.  M.  O.'s  Ofiicc, 
"  Cape  Tuwn, 

"  March  10th,  1887." 

[Deputy-.Surgeon-General  Faught  had  known  'Sir.  Stanley 
some  years  before  and  was  much  interested  in  the  Expedition.] 

I  procured  a  considerable  quantity  of  medicines,  which  I 
brought  on  board  with  me.  Several  ladies  and  gentlemen 
were  introduced  to  ]\[r.  Stanley  and  Tippu-Tib. 

I  purchased,  while  on  shore,  some  brass  cartridges  for  my 
gun,  a  cap})ing  machine,  and  some  lead  to  make  bullets 
with.  Mr.  A\'alkcr,  an  English  engineer,  has  also  been 
taken  on  board,  as  an    oHicer  of  the  Expedition,   to   super- 


1887.]  FROM   CAPE  TOWN   TO   LEOPOLD VILLE.  27 

intend  the  management  of  our  steamers  during  the  river 
Yoyage.  This  makes  the  number  of  Europeans  up  to  ten  at 
present. 

We  left  Cape  Town  at  5.30  p.m. — weather  very  rough. 
When  leaving  the  jetty,  the  crowd  cheered  for  Stanley ;  and 
some  soldiers — mostly  members  of  the  Medical  Staff  Corps — 
who  were  present  recognized  me,  and  gave  me  a  farewell 
liurrah. 

Most  of  the  members  of  the  staff  have  brought  dogs  with 
■them.  Mr.  Stanley  himself  sports  two  fox-terriers— one  of 
them  he  calls  Bandij. 

I  had  another  accident  to-day — a  crushed  finger,  which  I 
was  obliged  to  amputate  at  the  first  joint,  as  there  was  no 
chance  of  saving  it.  I  have  now  several  bad  cases  on  board — 
including  dysentery,  pneumonia,  and  accidents  of  various 
kinds.  Some  of  the  vaccinated  arms  are  very  sore  still.  I 
experience  great  difficulty  in  getting  the  sick  men  properly 
looked  after :  the  attendants  always  walk  away  A\hen  my 
back  is  turned.  Soup  is  always  specially  prepared  in  the 
galley  for  my  patients,  and  I  am  obliged  to  sit  by,  and  see  it 
taken;  otherwise  I  could  never  be  sure  of  their  getting  it. 
All  our  coloured  friends  seem  to  be  very  negligent  of  their 
disabled  comrades ;  it  is  an  unpleasant  characteristic,  as  they 
seem  to  be  kind  and  companionable  during  the  hours  of 
prosperity. 

3Iar.  12.  —  Weighed  my  baggage,  and,  to  my  great 
surprise  and  regret,  found  that  it  was  over  weight,  so  that  some 
must  be  left  behind.  One  of  my  cases  (dysentery)  was  rather 
bad.  A  good  number  of  cuts  had  to  be  stitched  up  during  the 
day.  There  are  great  quantities  of  patent  medicines,  one  of 
which,  "  Hippacea,"  is  confidently  recommended  for  cracked 
heels,  spavin,  splint,  sore  back,  &c.,  &c. 

Tippu-Tib's  man  walked  into  the  saloon  in  a  delirious  con- 
dition, completely  deserted  and  neglected  by  his  attendants. 
I  gave  him  a  sedative — xxx  grs.  of  sodii  bromid.,  followed 
hy  I  gr.  of  morphia.  He,  poor  fellow,  is  evidently  suffering 
from  acute  encephalitis,  following  the  reactionary  stage  of 
cerebral  concussion,  and  wdll  require  the  greatest  care,  which  I 
will  have  great  difiliculty  in  procuring  for  him. 

I  have  now  continued  the  work  of  vaccination  till  tlie 
operation  has  been  performed — with  the  exception  of  a  very 


23  EXFERIEXCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

few  who  objected  to  it — on  all  the  members  of  the  Expedition, 
black  and  white,  excepting  those  who  presented  well-markecL 
scars  of  former  small-pox,  or  of  a  former  successful  vaccinatior. 
Even  those  who  had  had  small-pox  in  infancy,  or  early  youth, 
were  vaccinated.  I  also  re-vaccinated  those  in  whose  cases  a 
long  interval  had  elapsed  since  they  had  been  successfully 
subjected  to  the  same  operation.  The  total  number  vaccinated 
was  about  550.  This  included  7  of  the  9  Europeans  ;  2  Syrians- 
(employed  as  interpreters) ;  10  Somalis  (of  the  13) ;  40  Nubians 
out  of  a  total  of  ()2);  and  nearly  500  Zanzibaris  (of  the  total 
number  of  623).  Of  these  550  cases,  about  half  were  vaccinated 
from  the  lymph  which  had  been  purchased  by  Mr.  Stanley  for 
the  use  of  the  Expedition ;  the  remaining  half  from  the 
vesicles  which  had  formed  on  the  arms  of  their  comrades.  In 
the  latter  case,  I,  of  course,  utilised  the  best-developed  vesicles 
for  the  supply.  Our  02  Nubians  had  all  been  vaccinated  before, 
as  they  had  belonged  to  the  Egyptian  army,  where  the  regu- 
lations required  vaccination  on  enlistment.  In  choosing  those 
to  be  re-vaccinated,  I  had  all  the  men  fallen  in,  and  rejected 
those  who  presented  good  vaccination  marks,  or  deep  small- 
pox pits,  and  especially  those  who  assured  me  that  they  had 
been  recently  vaccinated.  They  were  all  very  willing  to  submit 
to  the  operation,  and  had  commenced  to  come  to  me  voluntarily 
for  the  purpose.  I  applied  the  same  rule  to  the  smaller 
number  of  Somalis.  A  very  considerable  proportion  of  the 
Zanzibaris  have  had  small-pox  ;  more  than  a  fourth  of  the 
total  number  vaccinated  present  distinct  scars  left  by  the 
disease.  I  vaccinated  only  those  in  whose  cases  a  long  interval 
had  elapsed  since  they  had  sufiered  from  it. 

The  net  result  of  the  total  number  of  operations  was  that 
about  one-half  were  fairly  successful.  Of  the  other  half  some 
developed  small  abortive  vesicles  at  once ;  but  a  large  pro- 
portion sliowed  no  signs  whatever  after  the  first  trial.  These, 
however,  I  re-vaccinated,  some  of  them  several  times  over,  till 
I  succeeded  in  obtaining  some  small  result — enougli  to  show 
that  a  little,  at  least,  of  tlie  lymj)!!  had  been  absorbed. 

I  am  disposed  to  attribute  the  large  proportion  of  complete 
failures,  and  the  repetition  of  the  operations  which  were  found 
necessary  in  so  great  a  number  of  my  cases,  to  the  eftects  of 
the  tropical  heat  and  parching  winds,  which  tend  to  dry  up  the 
lymph  ra[)i(lly,  beft)rc  it  has  time  to  be  absorbed.     This  has 


FROM    CAPE   TOWN   TO   LEOPOLD  VILLE.  29 

'been  already  noticed  by  many  high  authorities  on  meteoroh)r»-v 
.and  hygiene,  and  I  learned  from  Dr.  Hussey,  of  Zanzibar,  that 
an  enormous  proportion  of  failures  occur  among  the  vaccinations 
performed  in  Zanzibar  and  the  adjacent  parts  of  the  African 
•coast.  By  persevering,  I  did,  however,  after  repeated  trials, 
in  some  instances  succeed  in  getting  slight  definite  results, 
indicating  at  least  a  partial  amount  of  protection  in  these  cases. 
A  small  vesicle,  followed  by  the  formation  of  a  minute  crust, 
-appeared  in  these  troublesome  specimens. 

In  order  to  ascertain  the  value  of  the  operation  in  some  of 
the  more  doubtful  cases,  I  took  many  opportunities  of  applying 
"Bryce's  test"  for  a  successful  vaccination.  This  simply  is, 
•re-vaccinate  on  the  fifth  day ;  if  the  primary  operation  has 
been  successful,  the  second  vesicle  (necessarily  smaller)  will 
reach  its  full  stage  of  development  as  soon  as  the  first — they 
•will  both  undergo  the  characteristic  changes  on  the  eighth  day. 
This  rule  I  have  often  seen  to  hold  good. 

[Of  the  preservative  effects  of  these  vaccinations  a  crucial 
•test  was  supplied  at  a  later  period  in  the  history  of  the  Ex- 
pedition.] 

Mar.  13,  Sunday. — Jameson  read  the  service  for  the 
(lay.  As  I  was  so  often  called  up  at  night,  I  asked  Mr.  Stanley 
to  add  an  order  to  the  "  General  Orders "'  already  issued,  direct- 
ing that  all  sick  should  be  paraded  at  11  A.M.  while  on  board 
ship,  and  at  5.30  a.m.  when  on  shore ;  also,  at  my  request,  my 
recommendations  of  16th  Feb.  were  copied  into  the  "  General 
•Orders." 

One  of  our  female  donkeys  died  in  parturition. 
Mar.    14.  —  One  of   our   men    died.      He  had    made  no 
attempt  to  rally  from  the  exhaustion  produced  by  dysentery, 
although  all  haemorrhage  had  ceased  for  three  days. 

The  day  was  very  calm,  temperature  73^  F.  There  was 
no  land  in  sight,  but  there  were  a  great  many  birds  flying 
about. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  temperature  'tween  decks  was  97^  F. ; 
where  the  men  sleep,  on  deck,  it  was  84^  F. 

Mar.  15. — Spent  the  day  packing  up  medicines,  and 
endeavouring  to  squeeze  the  contents  of  six  boxes  into  four 
loads.  There  is  no  linseed-meal  in  our  Expedition  stores, 
so  I  helped  myself  to  some  of  the  ship's  store. 

Mar.  16. — A  death  from  pneumonia.     This  patient  had  also 


30  EXPEniENCES   IN  EQUATOIilAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

been  one  of  Nelson's  Company ;  his  name  was  Marzonk  Bin 
Ali.  Several  other  members  of  this  company  are  suffering  from 
bronchial  affections.  I  believe  that  this  is  principally  due  to. 
the  fact  that  they  are  quartered  so  near  the  engines;  it 
is,  of  course,  very  hot  there,  and  when  they  go  up  on  deck 
they  get  chilled.  This  is  easy  to  understand,  as  the  difference 
of  temperature  is  fully  20^  ;  below,  the  temperature  is  usually 
94^  F.,  while  at  the  top  of  the  gangway,  in  tlie  open, 
it  is  but  74°  F.  It  is  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  they 
can  be  kept  out  of  their  quarters,  although  a  sentry  is  placed 
on  guard  at  the  top  of  the  companion. 

On  this  day  I  found  the  temperature  at  100°  F.  below, 
while  the  thermometer  where  the  men  sleep  on  deck  registered 
but  90°. 

Mae.  17. — Spent  a  good  part  of  the  day  in  packing  up  my 
kit.  Our  maximum  weight  of  baggage  is  180  lbs.,  and  the- 
endeavour  to  squeeze  my  necessaries  into  this  limit  I  found 
a  rather  fatiguing  task.  Could  not  with  all  my  trouble  manage- 
to  do  it,  so  I  had  to  send  back  many  things,  and  get  35  lbs. 
of  ammunition  for  my  hammerless  breechloader  carried  by 
another. 

At  10  A.M.  the  temperature  between  decks  was  100°  F.  ;  at 
the  same  time  it  was  80°  F.  on  the  upper  deck.  So  the  work 
of  arranging  and  packing  made  one  feel  pretty  warm.  I 
have  succeeded  in  getting  nearly  all  the  medicines  into  four 
l)oxes  (of  GO  lbs.  each) — my  maximum  allowance  of  weight. 
The  suj)ply  of  dressings  is  very  limited,  so  is  that  of  my  tonic 
medicines. 

Mr.  Stanley  selected  the  cooks,  and  gave  each  officer  a 
saddle  for  his  donkey.  I  had  brought  my  own  saddle  from 
Alexandria. 

Mar.  18. — Sarboko  Makatubu,  a  Zanzibari,  died  to-day  of 
heat-apoplexy.  The  attaclc  Ibllowed  a  two-hours'  exposure  to 
the  sun — in  the  morning,  while  washing  his  clothes.  He  had 
felt  quite  well  in  the  early  part  of  the  day,  but  had  been  a 
little  "  seedy  "  the  day  before ;  probably  the  effect  of  the- 
expr)sure  was  the  more  pronounced  and  the  more  rapid  on 
that  account.  The  temperature  ran  up  very  high,  109°  F. 
The  skin  was  extremely  dry  and  exhibited  the  characteristic- 
calvr  mordax,  so  strikingly  developed  in  pronounced  cases  of 
insolation ;  the  breathing   was   heavy,   and   became   slightly 


1887.]         FROM   CAPE   TOWN   TO   LEOPOLDVILLE.  31 

stertorous,  the  pupils  were  extremely  contracted,  and  the  con- 
junctiva deeply  injected;  complete  coma  rapidly  supervened^ 
and  death  followed  in  a  few  hours.  He  was  buried  at  Banauiu 
Point — by  the  mouth  of  the  Congo  Eiver,  where  we  arrived  at 
10  A.M.  The  Zanzibaris  make  a  long,  narrow,  deep  grave — 
excavated  on  one  side,  close  to  the  bottom.  The  corpse  is  then 
lowered  and  placed — the  body  on  its  right  side — in  this  recess. 
Grass  and  sticks,  or  boughs  of  trees,  are  then  placed  over  the 
body,  and  the  grave  is  filled  up  with  clay.  The  body  is  always- 
wrapped  in  a  clean  white  shroud. 

They  chant  their  burial  service  hurriedly,  and  appear 
anxious  to  have  the  ceremony  completed  as  rapidly  as  possible. 
These  people  seem  to  look  upon  death  with  a  philosophic  eye  ; 
they  know  of  no  appeal  from  the  unalterable  decrees  of 
Almighty  Fate. 

I  counted  but  three  English  tombstones  in  the  cemetery  : 
W.  H.  Sexton,  M.D.,  Blessington  Street,  Dublin ;  Dean,  ani 
engineer  with  Mr.  Stanley's  former  expedition  ;  Sooks,  a  boy 
of  nineteen.  The  cemetery  is  the  first  object  of  interest  which 
the  enterprising  adventurer  sees  when  he  lands  at  the  Congo's- 
mouth — a  cheery  introduction  to  one  of  the  most  unhealthy 
jiarts  of  Africa.  We  found  that  the  largest  of  the  steamers 
which. had  been  appointed  to  convey  us  up  the  river  to  Mataddi 
— as/ar  as  the  cataract— was  stranded  hard  and  fast  on  a  sand- 
bank. 

Mar.  19. — Nelson  and  Jameson  embarked  with  250  men — 
on  S.S.  Serpa  Pinto,  and  K.  A.  Nieman — at  9  a.m.  The  Serpcv 
Finto  belongs  to  one  of  the  Dutch  trading  companies.  I  went 
on  board  the  Albuquerque  (Ca})tain  Eobert  Howe)  with  124 
men,  Uledi,  my  chief.  Walker  (an  English  engineer),  my  two 
gun-bearers,  and  a  heavy  cargo  of  Expedition  goods.  This- 
steamer  belongs  to  an  English  trading  company. 

We  started  at  10.15  a.m.,  and  arrived  at  Ponta  da  Lenha  at 
11.30  A.M.  This  is  an  extensive  factory  station — English, 
French,  and  Dutch.  It  seems  a  place  likely  to  have  a  future 
before  it,  and  will  probably  grow  rapidly,  as  the  trade  of 
Africa  develops  and  the  ingress  of  civilising  influences  is 
facilitated. 

At  this  ])oint  the  three  streams  of  the  Congo— which  are 
separated  by  islands  as  we  ascend  the  river — unite  into  a 
single  (narrower)  one,  which  thence  passes  on  to  its  termina- 


32  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

tion  in  the  Atlantic.  At  the  mouth,  between  Banana  Point  and 
Sharks'  Point,  the  breadth  of  the  river  is  but  six  miles  ;  above 
Ponta  da  liCnha,  before  the  union  of  the  three  constituent 
streams,  it  measures  twenty  miles  from  bank  to  bank. 

In  this  interval  both  banks  of  the  river  are  beautifully  green 
and  richly  wooded.  The  Congo  is  remarkable  as  being  the 
second  largest  river  in  the  world,  with  8000  miles  of  navigable 
water ;  and  its  velocity  is  so  great  that  fresh  water  has  been 
found  240  miles  out  to  sea. 

One  of  Jephson's  men  died.  He  had  suffered  from 
1)ronchitis;  and  was  also  the  subject  of  an  old-standing 
dislocation  of  the  elbow.  We  are  getting  a  good  many 
chest  cases  now;  the  difference  of  temperature  above  and 
below  deck  is  very  marked;  and  the  sudden  fall  of  the 
thermometer,  following  the  vertical  sunset  of  sub-tropical 
<;limes,  produces  many  chills,  especially  among  persons  of  the 
reckless  habits  of  the  Zanzibaris. 

AVe  reached  Boma  at  6.30  p.m.  This  place  is  situated  63 
miles  from  the  sea.  The  head-quarters  of  the  Congo  Free 
State  officials  are  situated  here.  We  are  naturally  interested 
in  the  place,  forming  as  it  does  the  great  centre  of  one  of  the 
most  important  of  the  life-works  of  our  leader.  The  position 
is  now  interesting,  both  geographically  and  historically. 

]\rr.  Stanley  followed  in  the  S.S.  Heron. 

Mai?.  20. — We  left  Boma  at  G  A.M.  The  stream  just  above 
is  about  1 200  yards  wide,  and  is  excessively  rapid.  The  banks 
are  very  precipitous,  so  much  so  as  to  approach  the  perpen- 
dicular ;  and,  accordingly,  the  view  is  very  limited. 

I  distributed  rations  at  0.30  a.m.,  and  reached  Ango-ango  at 

11.30  A.M. 

One  of  the  men  of  Jephson's  Company,  Mwana  Bin  Ali,  died 
to-day  of  acute  bronchitis.  He  had  a  very  weak  heart,  a  com- 
plication which  determined  the  fatal  result ;  so  weak,  indeed, 
that  he  would  never  have  been  able  to  travel  with  us,  even  if 
lie  had  not  been  attacked  with  any  acute  disease. 

IMau.  21. — I  marched  117  men — with  their  kits — from  Ango- 
ango  to  jMataddi,  a  distance  of  7  miles.  Nelson  brought  about 
tlic  same  number.  We  left  Jameson  and  Walker  to  lo(jk  after 
the  baggage,  and  come  up  by  steamer  in  the  evening. 

On  arriving  at  IMataddi,  wc  i)itched  our  tents  and  formed  a 
camp.     We  then  unloaded  the  steamers,  which  arrived  soon 


1SS7.]  FROM   CAFE   TOWN   TO   LEOFOLDVILLE.  33 

after  us.  A  Portuguese  gun-boat  arrived  at  4  p.m.,  with.  Stairs 
and  Barttelot  on  board. 

Tippu-Tib's  man,  who  bad  suffered  from  concussion  of  the 
brain — with  subsequent  delirium  and  other  complications — 
was  now  discharged  to  duty,  being  quite  well.  It  was  a  very 
auspicious  termination  to  an  extremely  dangerous  case.  He 
had  suffered  from  mingled  symptoms  of  concussion  and  com- 
pression of  the  brain,  followed  by  acute  encephalitis,  which 
were  made  all  the  more  formidable  by  the  neglect  of  his 
comrades,  on  AA'hom  he  had  to  depend  for  nursing  and 
attendance ;  and  also  by  the  want  of  the  requisite  repose, 
which  was  made  impossible  by  the  movements  of  travelling, 
and  the  very  limited  accommodation  on  board  steamer. 

Mae.  22. — I  was  told  off  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  transfer  the  rice 
into  small  bags,  which  were  not  to  exceed  70  lbs.  weight  each ; 
also  to  send  off  the  loads  by  carriers  to  Leopoldville.  The 
others  were  also  hard  at  work  immediately  on  arrival,  as  we  have 
now  to  fit  up  everything  into  loads  of  about  60  lbs.,  for  the 
march  to  Leopoldville  (Stanley  Pool),  which  is  235  miles  off. 

There  a,re  a  good  many  sick  now,  chiefly  from  chest  affec- 
tions. The  Zanzibaris  are  not  at  all  good  to  their  invalids ; 
I  found  four  of  the  worst  eases  left  lying  down  without 
blankets,  which  should  have  been  simply  handed  to  them  by 
their  comrades,  as  one  blanket  was  given  to  each  man  before 
leaving  the  Madura. 

Mak.  23. — Mr.  Stanley  added  eight  men  to  my  company. 
Maulim  Bakari  of  F.  Company,  which  is  also  under  my  charge, 
died  of  sunstroke.  This  case,  and  the  fatal  one  of  the  18th 
inst.,  are  the  first  cases  of  sunstroke  I  have  now  seen  for  a  con- 
siderable interval.  Strangely  enough,  I  have  seen  a  much 
greater  number  of  men  knocked  down  with  sunstroke  at  Alder- 
shot  during  one  day  in  1881,  than  I  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  during  all  my  African  experience. 

Eemington  rifles  were  distributed  to  the  men  ;  fifty  Winches- 
ters were  also  distributed  to  the  ofScers  and  picked  men.  We 
also  received  a  revolver  and  water-bottle  each.  I  did  not  take 
one,  as  I  preferred  an  old  campaigning  bulldog  of  my  own, 
which  I  had  used  on  the  Bayuda  desert  march  in  '85. 

Mar.  24. — Mr.  Stanley  added  ten  more  men  to  my  com- 
pany, which  now  numbers  sixty-one. 

Hari  Balyousi  and  Abdallah — both  of  Nelson's  Company — 


34  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.  [1887. 

died,  one  of  acute  broneliitis,  complicated  by  failure  of  cardiac 
action ;  the  other  of  pneumonia.  Both  cases  had  contracted 
their  fatal  illnesses  on  board  the  steamer. 

The  temperature  under  shade  of  verandah  at  Mataddi  was 
98°  F.  The  men  were  paraded  at  6  a.m.,  and  continued  to 
work  all  day. 

I  put  185  large  bags  of  rice  into  the  Congo  Free  State  store- 
houses. 

A  riding  donkey  was  given  to  each  of  us. 
Mar.  25. — One  of  Stair's  men,  Khoma,  died  of  peritonitis— 
the  result  of  an  injury  to  the  abdomen. 

The  caravan  marched  from  Mataddi  to  Mposo,  two  hours. 
The  ground  over  which  we  passed  was  undulating,  and  not 
difficult  for  marching  ;  but  many  of  the  men  were  drunk,  and 
all  were  loaded.  Before  starting,  each  of  us  had  to  throw 
away  something — article  of  kit,  or  some  provisions — so  as  to 
get  down  the  individual  weight  to  the  regulation  amount  of 
GO  lbs.  per  load.  Everything  has  to  be  carried  on  men's 
heads.  Accordingly  many  hundreds  of  pounds'  worth  of 
valuables  of  various  kinds  were  rejected,  or  left  in  store.  I 
loaded  my  donkey  as  well  as  I  could,  still  I  was  obliged  to 
throw  away  a  number  of  things  —  among  others,  some  of 
"  Jameson's  oldest,"  which  he  had  kindly  given  me. 

Fourteen  sick  men  were  left  behind  with  Lieutenant  Baert, 
C.F.S.  officer  at  Mataddi,  with  directions  that  they  are  to  be 
sent  on  after  us,  as  soon  as  they  are  able  to  march.  We  left  for 
their  use  some  rice,  syrup  of  the  hy pophosphites,  and  sulphate  of 
magnesium.  I  pointed  out  the  cases,  and  impressed  on  him 
that  what  they  most  required  was  feeding. 

We  crossed  the  Mposo  river  in  canoes ;  the  operation  was 
tedious  and  troublesome,  but  no  very  untoward  accident 
occurred ;  so  that,  beyond  the  delay  caused  by  the  obstruction 
of  another  stream,  there  is  nothing  special  to  record. 

In  the  evening,  after  halting  lor  the  night,  we  were  ordered 
to  give  the  men  some  musketry  instruction  and  ball  practice! 

Mar.  2G. — We  marched  from  the  Mposo  river  to  Palaballa, 
leaving  at  5  A.M.,  and  arriving  at  noon. 

j\Iy  donkey  fell  down  when  I  tried  to  mount,  as  he  has  been 
greatly  reduced  in  condition  by  his  sea- voyage. 

AVo  enjoyed  a  hospitable  luncheon  at  the  Mission,  with  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Clarke,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ingham.     Mr.  Ingham  has 


1887.]  FROM  CAPE   TOWN  TO   LEOPOLDVILLE.  35 

been  working  in  the  service  of  the  Expedition,  collecting 
l)orters  on  the  Lower  Congo. 

Mae.  27. — We  again  stayed  for  the  night  at  the  Mission 
Station. 

One  man  had  died  on  the  way. 

3Iar.  28.— We  loft  Palaballa  at  5.30  a.m.,  and  marched 
twelve  miles  to  Banza  Manteka.  The  ground  was  fairly  level, 
beantif  ally  green,  and  picturesquely  studded  over  with  clumps 
of  trees.  It  is  well  watered,  but  every  specimen  of  water 
which  we  could  procure  for  drinking  was  very  muddy — looked 
painfully  like  eafe-au-lait. 

The  sun  was  extremely  hot,  and  we  all  felt  it  severely. 
Several  of  the  men  sickened  from  sheer  exhaustion — being  in 
extremely  bad  training  for  over-exertion  of  this  kind,  after 
their  idleness  and  stall-feeding  on  board  ship.  Many  of 
them  have  also  become  knocked-up  with  sore  feet  by  the 
marching.  Four  of  the  worst  cases  were  left  behind  at  Pala- 
balla— to  be  sent  on  by  the  missionary  when  they  have 
recovered. 

The  men  of  my  company  conveyed  their  loads  to  camp — all 
correct. 

Mak.  29. — Started  at  daybreak,  and  arrived  at  1  p.m.  at 
Congo  la  Lemba,  where  we  camped  for  the  night.  I  was  on  rear- 
guard. The  march  was  only  eight  miles ;  our  column  some- 
times stretched  over  two  miles. 

On  the  way,  one  of  the  men  had  the  calf  of  his  leg  deeply 
laid  open  by  an  accidental  hatchet-stroke.  I  staunched  the 
bleeding  by  securing  the  open  vessels,  and  closed  the  wound 
with  eleven  sutures.  He  then  continued  the  march,  as  I  had 
bound  up  the  limb  so  as  to  secure  a  fair  degree  of  comfort,  and 
we  had  no  means  of  transport.  He  felt  fiiirly  well  after  the 
operation  :  there  was  no  pain  to  speak  of  about  the  wound  ;  and 
the  latter,  although  a  deep  and  long  one,  did  not  quite  reach 
the  posterior  tibial  vessels,  so  that  the  haemorrhage  was  from 
the  smaller  branches,  and  not  sufficiently  copious  to  cause 
much  faintness  after  the  oozing  had  been  stopped. 

Mae.  30. — We  were  roused  at  daybreak ;  rain  had  been  fall- 
ing heavily,  so  that  we  did  not  start  so  early  as  usual.  After 
some  rice  breakfast,  I  left  camp  with  my  company  at  9  a.m. 
At  the  end  of  four  miles  we  halted  upon  a  swollen  river,  the 
Bembezi.     The  current  was  extremelv  rapid,  and  the  effects  of 

D  2 


36  EXPEBIENGES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.  [1887. 

the  recent  rain  were  shown  in  the  numbers  of  branches  of  trees, 
&c.,  which  were  being  carried  down  by  the  stream.  Under 
Mr.  Stanley's  directions,  a  double  rope  was  stretched  across 
the  river  from  bank  to  bank,  and  the  loads  Avere  passed  across 
from  hand  to  hand,  the  bearers  holding  on  with  one  hand  by 
the  fixed  rope — and  standing  shoulder  deep  in  the  water. 
The  donkeys  were  made  to  swim  across,  being  guided  by 
Zanzibaris,  who  swam  in  front  of  them.  Two  of  the  more 
weakly  of  the  donkeys  made  a  very  poor  attempt  at  swimming, 
and  were  nearly  drowned. 

By  5  P.M.  the  entire  column  had  crossed — the  transit  having 
lasted  five  hours — commencing  at  noon.  We  then  continued 
our  march  till  9  p.m.  During  the  last  hour  or  two  we  found 
great  difficulty  in  groping  our  way  through  the  forest,  as  it 
was  pitch  dark.  I,  fortunately,  had  a  candle,  given  me  by 
Tippu-Tib,  which  I  utilised ;  so  I  was  able  to  get  along. 

I  am  obliged  to  sleep  in  my  wet  clothes,  so  that  I  do  not 
feel  very  well  pleased  with  my  ex]3eriences  of  the  Expedition. 
We  are,  fortunately,  pretty  well  sheltered ;  otherwise  we  should 
be  chilled  to  the  bone. 

Gave  ]Mr.  Stanley  10  grs.  of  pulv.  Doveri,  as  he  felt  ill  after 
the  march.  No  medicine-boxes  have  yet  arrived  in  camp,  the 
bulk  of  the  column  not  having  come  up. 

Mar.  31. — By  daybreak  three-fourths  of  the  column  had 
emerged  from  the  forest ;  so  we  then  started  and  marched  to 
the  IMangola  river,  which  we  found  sj)anned  by  a  primitive 
wire-suspension  bridge.  Immediately  after  crossing,  about 
10  A.M.,  Mr.  Stanley  was  attacked  by  very  violent  cramps, 
complicated  by  some  dysenteric  symptoms.  I  gave  him 
V.  grs.  of  pil.  plumbi  c.  opio,  and  had  him  carried  to  the 
next  camp,  as  he  was  almost  pulseless  and  quite  blanched. 
He  is  still  very  faint  and  weak, 'and  requires  very  careful 
nursing.  The  attack  was  exactly  like  the  commencement 
of  cholera. 

AVe  arrived  at  our  next  camp  about  11  a.m.  Mr.  Stanley 
was  so  completely  prostrate  that  he  required  a  good  deal  of 
attention.  I  gave  him  some  rice-milk,  with  beef-tea  and 
arrowroot,  at  intervals.  I  also  administered  v.  grs.  of  pulv. 
JJoveri. 

April  1. — Our  leader  was  much  better  to-day — so  much  so, 
that,  after  being  carried  in  a  hammock  for  about  three-fourths 


1887.]  FROM   CAPE   TOWN   TO   LEOPOLD VILLE.  37 

of  the  day's  march,  he  was  able  to  ride  his  donkey  for  the 
remaining  fourth  of  the  way.  Heavy  rain  had  fallen  in  the 
morning.  We  halted  for  the  night  at  the  American  Mission 
Station  at  Banza  Manteka,  where  we  were  hospitably  received 
and  entertained  by  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eichards,  and  Dr.  Small. 
Our  movements,  up  to  the  present,  would  seem  to  be  under 
very  favourable  auspices  :  I  only  hope  that  they  may  continue 
as  such.  Kindly  faces  meet  us  at  every  station,  and  the  warm 
wishes  of  the  civilised  portion  of  humanity  aj^pear  to  be 
altogether  with  us. 

The  water-supply  at  this  station  is  of  very  bad  quality,  and 
is  situated  a  long  way  off. 

Apeil  2. — Very  heavy  rain  fell  this  morning,  which  pre- 
vented us  from  starting  till  8  a.m.  As  we  moved  on,  the  day 
brightened,  and  was  quite  line  by  10  a.m.  Mr.  Stanley  sent 
Jephson  with  the  sections  of  our  steel-boat — the  AdvMice — and 
the  boat's  crew  of  Zanzibaris,  accompanied  by  six  Somalis,  down 
to  the  Congo,  with  directions  to  row  up  and  meet  us  at  Stanley 
Pool.  Five  sick  men  were  left  with  Dr.  Small.  One  of  these 
is  a  hopeless  case,  and  cannot  live  long.  The  other  four  have 
each  a  good  chance  of  recovery,  but  were  quite  unable  to 
proceed  with  the  Expedition.  Two  bags  of  rice  Avere  left  to 
provision  them. 

I  WPS  in  charge  of  the  rear-guard.  We  marched  over  a 
rather  picturesque  country  till  about  3  p.m.,  when  we  halted 
for  the  night.  Throughout  the  greater  part  of  our  march  the 
grass  on  either  side  of  the  path  reached  above  our  heads, 

Apkil  3. — Very  heavy  rain  again  this  morning ;  which  pre- 
vented us  from  starting  so  early  as  we  had  intended.  We  left 
our  camping-ground  about  6.30  a.m.,  and  continued  our  march 
till  5  p.m.  We  did  a  good  day's  work,  the  Expedition  passing 
by  the  Lunionzo  river. 

Apeil  4. — We  left  camp  early,  and  reached  thelvwilu  river 
about  2  P.M.  The  stream  is  about  50  yards  wide,  with  a  very 
strong  current.  W^e  at  once  commenced  to  cross  the  stream 
in  a  "  dug-out  "  canoe,  which  was  found  lying  on  the  bank 
without  an  owner.  It  carried  eleven  men  with  their  loads, 
and  three  Somalis,  who  directed  it,  and  was  pulled  backwards 
and  forwards  across  the  river  by  means  of  a  rope  made  fast 
on  either  bank.  I  met  with  a  piece  of  ill  luck  here ;  my 
gun-bearer  dropped  my  waterproof  coat  into  the  stream,  and 


38  EXPEniENCES  IN  EQUAIOEIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

it  was  instantly  swept  away,  beyond  hope  of  recoYcry,  by  the 
rapid  current. 

Some  Zanzibaris  swam  across  :  all  the  Soudanese  and  all  the 
donkeys  did  likewise.  The  Somalis  are  very  quick  and  expert 
in  all  their  movements  connected  with  ferrying,  swimming, 
diving,  &c.  They  present,  in  tliis  respect,  a  great  contrast  to 
the  vast  majority  of  the  members  of  the  other  nationalities 
who  go  to  make  up  our  Expedition. 

April  5. — The  transit  of  the  Kwilu  still  occupied  us  till 
about  2  P.M.  Heavy  rain  then  came 'down  in  torrents,  and 
effectually  prevented  us  from  continuing  our  march.  However, 
we  had  now  an  opportunity  of  seeing  how  fortunate  it  was  that 
we  had  crossed  before  this  rain ;  for  the  stream  became  very 
quickly  swollen,  and  very  much  more  rapid,  carrying  down  huge 
boughs  of  trees  in  great  numbers,  so  that  it  would  have  been 
difficult,  and,  indeed,  extremely  dangerous,  to  attempt  crossing. 
Tippu-Tib  and  his  numerous  attendants  were  also  conveyed 
across  without  misadventure. 

Apeil  G. — We  marched  at  daybreak,  and  halted  early.  One 
of  our  Zanzibari  chiefs  (named  Khamis  Bin  Athman)  was 
shot  dead  by  a  native  as  he  tried  to  enter  his  house — to  steal 
food,  &c.  However,  the  homicide  was  shot  dead  in  his  turn  ; 
some  say  by  one  of  the  Zanzibaris  ;  others  say  by  Tippu-Tib's 
A.D.C.,  and  brother-in-law,  Salim.  One  of  Tippu-Tib's  men 
had  his  left  hand  penetrated  by  a  slug,  which  shattered  the 
bones  into  small  pieces.  This  I  wished  to  treat  by  immediate 
resection,  or  amputation  ;  but  the  patient  objected,  and  would 
not  submit  to  the  operation. 

Mr.  Stanley  distributed  fifty  rounds  of  ammunition  to  each 
European,  five  rounds  to  each  Somali,  and  two  rounds  to  each 
Zanzibari. 

I  took  over  the  mess  arrangements  from  Jameson. 
Apeil  7. — To-day  ]\[r.  Stanley  decided  that  it  was  necessary 
to  enforce  a  stricter  discipline,  as  the  stragglers  were  continu- 
ally wasting  our  time  in  trying  to  keep  them  up,  and  the 
history  of  the  previous  day  had  demonstrated  that  they  were 
commencing  to  make  the  worst  possible  use  of  their  opportuni- 
ties. The  number  of  desertions  since  we  left  ]\rataddi  now 
amounted  to  about  thirty,  and  the  straggling  and  pilfering 
were  becoming  intolerable.  Accordingly,  ]\rr.  Stanley  decided 
to  ride  in  the  rear  of  the  caravan,  which  made  a  very  happy 


1887.]  FROM   CAPE   TOWN  TO   LEOPOLBVILLE.  39 

difference  in  our  clay's  progress — after  a  few  examples  had  been 
made  by  whipping  in  the  incorrigible  loiterers.  Whatever 
may  be  said  or  thought  at  home  by  members  of  philanthro})ic 
African  societies,  who  are  so  anxious  about  the  extension  of  the 
rights  of  humanity,  there  is  no  getting  an  expedition  of  Zanzi- 
bari  carriers  across  this  country  without  the  use  of  a  fair  amount 
of  physical  persuasion.  In  its  absence  they  become  utterly 
reckless,  and  soon  forget  all  discipline. 

I  was  now  handed  over  Jephson's  company  for  a  few  days,  in 
addition  to  my  previous  charge :  an  arrangement  which  gave 
me  plenty  of  occupation — independently  of  my  professional 
work,  and  my  functions  as  mess-caterer. 

April  8. — ^We  left  our  camping -ground  (at  Vombo)  pretty 
early,  and  marched  about  12  miles  to  Lukungu,  where  we 
arrived  at  5  p.m.  The  ground  over  Avhich  we  passed  to-day  was 
partly  flat  and  partly  undulating. 

Stairs's  donkey  had  its  leg  broken  in  descending  a  steep 
bank,  and  had  to  be  shot. 

We  dined  at  the  Congo  Free  State  Station,  Lukungu. 
The  Nubians  had  now  finished  their  rations,  which  should 
have  lasted  them  longer  if  they  had  been  provident.  Accord- 
ingly they  thought  proper  to  assume  a  very  mutinous  attitude. 
This  roused  Mr.  Stanley,  who  had  them  drawn  up  in  their 
place5  at  once,  and  told  them  there  and  then  that  he  would 
shoot  the  first  man  among  them  who  dared  to  disobey  orders. 
The  interpreter,  a  Syrian,  Assad  Farran,  said  that  he  had 
joined  the  Expedition  as  interpreter,  and  should  not  be 
subjected  to  the  same  rules  as  the  others ;  but  Mr.  Stanley's 
reply  was  that  his  lot  was  cast  with  the  Soudanese,  and  he 
must  share  their  fate,  whatever  it  was.  Fortunately,  the  kind 
liberality  of  our  hosts,  Messrs.  Francqui  and  Dessauer,  had  led 
them  to  provide  for  our  benefit  a  large  supply  of  African  food, 
sufiicient  to  satisfy  our  whole  Expedition  for  four  days.  In 
presence  of  this  benevolence,  mutinous  thoughts  and  language 
were  more  easily  suppressed. 

Apeil  9. — We  remained  all  day  at  Lukungu.  Had  break- 
fast with  the  C.F.S.  officers.  This  was  followed  by  a  general 
parade.  My  three  companies  numbered  as  follows  : — D,  96 ; 
F,  66  ;  Gr,  55.     Several  rifles  were  found  to  be  missing. 

Eations  for  seven  days,  sufficient  to  bring  us  to  Stanley 
Pool,  were  now  served  out.     Barttelot  was  then  sent  on  before 


40  EXrEIilEXCES  IX  EQUATOEIAL   AFBICA.  [1887. 

us>itli  the  Soudanese  and  some  Zanzibarls,  as  he  understood 
a  little  Arabic. 

There  was  a  general  invitation  to  the  officers  to  dine  at  tlie 
C.F.S.  station  ;  but  I  was  unable  to  go  on  account  of  the 
number  of  sick  on  my  hands.  Mr.  Stanley  told  me  that  I  had 
lost  ten  rifles,  but  this  was  in  excess  of  the  actual  number. 

April  10. — Easter  Sunday.  We  left  Lukungu  at  8  am. 
Yery  soon  after  starting  we  had  to  ford  a  river. 

I  was  again  "  pulled  up  "  about  the  loss  of  rifles.  Mr.  Stanley 
told  me  I  had  lost  nineteen  rifles,  so  that  by  going  on  in  the 
same  ratio  I  will  have  lost  all  the  rifles  of  the  Expedition 
long  before  we  reach  our  destination.  This  is  not  a  very 
inspiriting  reflection.  We  are  all  working  hard  at  our  grammars 
and  Kiswahili  exercises,  so  as  to  be  able  to  speak  to  the  Zanzi- 
barls in  their  own  language. 

The  sun  is  very  hot.  Our  arms  are  reddened,  almost 
blistered,  by  the  exposure,  as  we  wear  no  coats  now.  Other 
cases  of  sickness  occurred  to-day  :  Nelson,  among  others,  whom 
I  was  obliged  to  dose  for  a  bad  attack  of  diarrhoea.  Two  men, 
who  were  quite  unable  to  proceed,  it  was  decided  to  leave 
behind.  Six  of  the  seven  Somalis  who  are  with  us  were 
attacked  with  fever  to-day ;  also  five  of  Jephson's  detachment 
of  the  Somalis,  who  were  several  miles  off  on  the  river. 
Certainly  a  remarkable  coincidence.  The  temperature  in  each 
case  was  about  102°  F.  These  Somalis  seem  to  be  less  able 
to  contend  with  marsh-miasm  than  the  other  members  of  the 
Expedition.  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  explanation  is  that 
they  had  always  lived  on  a  dry  and  sandy  soil  around  Aden, 
and  the  change  into  their  present  surroundings  has  been 
greater  and  more  abrupt  for  them  than  for  any  of  us.  They 
will  suffer  much  betbre  they  become  acclimatised.  It  is  very 
necessary  to  wear  a  Comcrbund  in  the  evening  so  as  to  prevent 
abdominal  chills. 

We  camped  for  the  niglit  at  Kibamwanga. 

Ai'KiL  11.— We  marclicd  to  the  ]\Ipoko  River,  wliich  we 
reached  at  noon.  'J'hcre  was  a  wicker  suspension-bridge  across 
tlie  river,  but  it  was  too  weak  to  be  relied  on ;  so  Mv.  Stanley 
had  two  of  the  longest  trees  found  growing  near  the  bank,  cut 
down,  and  allowed  to  fall  across  the  river  side  by  side.  They 
were  then  lashed  together  with  ropes,  and  a  good  bridge  Avas 
in  this  way  formed,  over  which  the  loads  were  safely  passed. 


1887.]  FROM   CAPE   TOWN  TO   LEOPOLDVILLE.  41 

The  donkeys,  as  usual,  swam  the  current ;  we  were  pretty  well 
tired  by  the  time  all  had  crossed,  so  we  proceeded  to  camp  for 
the  night  close  to  the  opposite  bank. 

A  provoking,  although,  indeed,  somewhat  ludicrous  mis- 
adventure befel  me  here.  Not  expecting  any  sudden  rainfall, 
we  settled  down  for  the  night  very  close  to  the  river's  bank, 
and  I  suspended  my  hammock  between  two  trees.  Presently, 
the  rain  came  down  in  torrents ;  we  were  soaked  through  and 
through  ;  and,  in  a  few  hours,  the  stream  had  swollen  and  over- 
flowed its  banks  to  such  an  extent  that  the  trees  to  which  my 
hammock  had  been  secured  now  appeared  to  be  in  the  middle 
of  the  river,  and  some  of  my  clothes  had  been  washed  away. 
A  new  lesson  in  the  practical  aspects  of  African  exploration  ! 

In  the  evening,  our  leader  asked  me  to  his  tent  to  have  a 
cigar,  and  we  conversed  on  the  various  topics  suggested  by 
the  progress  of  the  Expedition.  We  discussed  the  question 
which  had  been  raised  of  Major  Barttelot's  having  threatened 
to  shoot  Uledi,  but  decided  that  it  was  not  meant  for  earnest ; 
also  rumours  about  the  European  provisions  having  been 
tampered  with,  which  were  false. 

Apeil  12. — We  w-ere  roused  at  5.15  a.m.,  and  the  men  soon 
began  to  march,  but,  as  I  was  the  officer  on  rear-guard,  I  did 
not  leave  the  camping-ground  till  8  A.M.  We  arrived  at 
Lutste  at  5  p.m.,  having  had  nothing  to  eat  or  drink  on 
the  way.  This  slow  progress  was  due  to  the  bad  marching  of 
the  Soudanese,  who  had  had  a  day's  start  of  us,  under  charge 
of  Major  Barttelot.  We  caught  them  up  on  the  way,  and  they 
would  not  push  on,  till  I  threatened  to  take  their  rifles,  which 
had  some  effect  in  quickening  their  steps. 

Jephson  met  us,  and  reported  the  death  of  one  of  his  Somalis 
■ — the  others  were  weak  and  weary.  Mr.  Stanley  gave  direc- 
tions to  have  soup  served  out  to  each  of  them  at  once.  Rice 
was  distributed  to  every  man,  sufficient  for  the  distance  to 
Stanley  Pool  (about  eight  or  nine  days'  march  ahead). 

Barttelot  found  it  impossible  to  keep  ahead  of  us  with  his 
Soudanese ;  Mr.  Stanley  asked  me  would  I  take  charge  of 
them,  but  I  preferred  not  trying  the  experiment,  and  prayed  to 
be  excused. 

Elephants  and  antelopes  abound  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  African  elephant  moves  in  his  native  haunts  with  a 
degree  of  nimbleness  and  agility  which  is  quite  astounding 


42  EXFEBIENCES   TX  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

when  seen  for  the  first  time  by  Europeans,  whose  previous 
experience  of  the  animal  has  been  derived  from  the  commercial 
specimens  of  the  menagerie,  or  those  confined  in  the  Zoological 
Gardens.     I  was  not  at  all  prepared  for  it. 

Apkil  13. — We  reached  the  Lntote  Missionary  Station,  where 
we  were  able  to  make  ourselves  comfortable  and  dry  our  clothes. 
The  station  is  situated  in  aii  attractive  neighbourhood  ;  beauti- 
ful tropical  plants  abound  in  the  surrounding  valleys. 

There  was  a  hot  dispute  between  the  Soudanese  and 
Zanzibaris  on  the  subject  of  a  cooking-pot.  It  assumed  such 
proportions  that  Mr.  Stanley  found  it  necessary  to  interfere, 
which  he  did  with  so  much  vigour  that  both  scrimmaging 
parties  were  soon  reduced  to  peaceful  silence. 

We  received  a  good  deal  of  kindness  from  the  Baptist 
missionaries  at  this  station.  They  are  five  in  number. 
When  leaving  the  station,  I  left  two  sick  men  behind  who  were 
entirely  unable  to  proceed.  They  are  suffering  from  inter- 
mittent fever. 

April  14. — I  slept  very  badly  last  night ;  having  but  one 
blanket,  I  suffered  greatly  from  the  cold.  My  aneroid  gave  a 
reading  of  2,000  feet  above  sea-level. 

We  started  early  from  our  camping-ground,  and  made  a 
pretty  rapid  march  of  12  miles — over  a  flat,  well-wooded,  and 
well- watered  district.  Mr.  Stanley  remarked  to  me  that  it 
would  be  advisable  to  procure  some  medicines,  if  possible, 
from  kindly  friends  on  our  way ;  as  the  store  we  possessed  was 
very  likely  to  run  short.  I  had  got  a  1  lb.  tin  of  vaseline 
from  Dr.  Small,  of  the  American  Mission.  I  lost  one  box  of 
ammunition — about  500  rounds  (Remington).  We  halted  for 
the  night  at  a  place  called  Nyangin. 

April  15. — We  made  a  satisfactory  march  of  10  miles,  to 
the  Inkissi  river.  The  surrounding  scenery  was  very  beautiful, 
and  tliere  was  a  gradual  ascent  amounting  to  350  feet.  We 
met  two  ivory  caravans  on  the  way,  who  were  speediug 
towards  the  ocean,  well  laden  with  their  valuable  spoil.  One 
tusk  weighed  180  lbs. 

The  natives  on  meeting  us  always  say  "Good  morning,"  or 
"Bote,"  which  means  the  same  thing.  On  our  march  we 
(;anio  on  a  native  market,  where  goats,  bananas,  cloth,  &c., 
were  exposed  for  sale;  but,  when  the  sellers  saw  us  approach- 
ing, they  hastily  packed  up  their  commodities  and  ran  off,  as 


1887.]  FROM   CAPE   TOWN   TO   LEOPOLDVILLE.  43 

they  said  tliey  were  afraid  that  our  Zanzibaris  would  appro- 
priate their  goods.  AVe  saw  one  example  of  their  ready 
method  of  dealing  with  theft  and  murder — a  native  who  had 
been  spiked  on  a  post  some  time  before,  and  his  body 
remains  there  as  a  standing  warning  to  evil-doers.  At  the 
end  of  the  day  Nelson  and  myself  were  both  down  in  fever ; 
our  respective  temperatures  being  104°  and  103  •4°. 

April  16. — Keveille  at  5  a.m.  Jephson,  who  had  gone  on 
ahead  to  launcli  the  boat,  was  now  ready  to  portage  us  across 
the  Inkissi.  Our  boat  divides  into  twelve  sections ;  and,  plus 
the  equipment,  made  loads  for  forty-one  men. 

The  loads  were  first  conveyed  across  the  stream,  then  the 
men ;  the  total  process  of  transit  occupied  the  whole  day.  The 
river  was  the  broadest  we  have  yet  encountered ;  so  that,  on  this 
account,  and,  as  the  current  was  very  rapid,  our  former 
stratagem  of  the  rope  could  not  be  depended  upon.  Mr. 
Stanley  took  great  personal  trouble  in  the  crossing ;  remaining 
in  the  boat  during  the  whole  time,  and  attending  to  every 
detail  in  the  transit  of  both  men  and  goods.  The  donkeys 
were  also  conveyed  in  the  boat. 

When  everything  was  brought  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river  Ave  formed  our  camp  for  the  night,  quite  close  to  the 
bank.     Eice  was  then  distributed — 2  lbs.  to  each  man. 

Apeil  17,  Sunday. — We  left  our  camp  on  the  bank  of  the 
Inkissi  Eiver.  One  of  the  peculiar  things  Avhich  attracted 
observation  during  the  progress  of  the  day's  march  was  a 
snaring  apparatus  used  by  natives  for  catching  birds. 

Barttelot  took  a  wrong  path  with  the  Soudanese  to-day, 
and  has  not  yet  returned. 

April  18. — We  left  our  camp  at  5.35  a.m.,  and  marched 
about  10  miles  through  a  country  thickly  wooded,  and 
intersected  by  several  small  rivers.  The  trees  are  stunted 
in  appearance.  The  last  stream  we  crossed  was  con- 
siderably larger  than  the  others  ;  and — worse  luck — my 
donkey,  which  had  safely  conveyed  me  over  the  others, 
slipped  and  fell  with  me  in  crossing  this  stream.  So  I  was 
thoroughly  drenched,  and  many  of  my  cartridges  were 
spoilt. 

We  camped  for  the  night  at  Nkilama,  Avhere  I  removed  my 
soaked  apparel,  and  tried  to  make  myself  comfortable.  The 
noise  of  the  first   cataract   on   the   Congo — half-a-mile  from 


4-1  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATOniAL   AFBICA.  [1887. 

our  camp  — is  tromendous,  and  lias  a  most  awe-inspiring 
effect. 

I  feel  very  seedy  this  evening— the  accumulating  results 
of  wetting  and  fever.  I  had  some  surgical  work  with  two  of 
the  Zanzibaris,  who  had  been  wounded  by  slugs,  one  in  the 
calf  of  the  right  leg,  the  other  in  the  left  shoulder.  I  did  not, 
however,  succeed  in  removing  the  slugs. 

April  19. — I  felt  very  seedy  still;  took  no  notes. 

April  20.— Ditto. 

April  21.— Keveille  at  daybreak.  We  made  a  long  and 
fatiguing  march,  which  brought  us  to  Leopoldville  at  noon. 
This  is  our  embarking-place  and  ends  our  journey  of 
235  miles  from  IMataddi,  through  one  of  the  most  unhealthy 
parts  of  the  Congo  State.  I  am  delighted  that  the  con- 
tinuous walking  is  over  for  a  season,  but  new  difficulties 
now  face  us  in  the  outlook  for  our  provisions,  as  a  famine 
prevails  in  Leopoldville  and  the  surrounding  district,  and 
very  little  food  can  be  procured  for  our  men. 

The  village  consists  of  a  few  rather  primitive  huts ;  the 
inhabitants  include  about  a  dozen  Avhite  men  in  all : 
missionaries,  traders,  and  officers  of  the  Congo  Free  State. 
There  are  three  steamers,  but  only  one  of  these — the  Stanley 
— is  available.  This  vessel  is  able  to  accommodate  150 
passengers.  The  American  Mission  steamer,  Peace,  was  re- 
fused us,  but  afterwards  given  on  certain  conditions.  In  a 
similar  way,  the  English  Mission  steamer,  Henry  Heed,  was  at 
first  refused,  but  afterwards  yielded  to  us.     The  latter  could 

not  be  given,  because  her  captain,  the  Rev.  ,  is  going  to 

marry  a  wife  and  therefore  cannot  come.  The  Congo  Free 
State  officials  then  chartered  her  on  behalf  of  Mr.  Stanley. 
By  these  means  we  are  now  supplied  with  the  entire  available 
flotilla  on  the  Upper  Congo. 

The  men  made  themselves  comfortable  grass-huts:  by 
keeping  an  appropriate  distance,  and  studying  a  couvenient 
formation,  they  housed  themselves  very  snugly  indeed. 
I^hiny  native  chiefs  visited  j\Ir.  Stanley  during  our  stay. 
Ngalyema  is  the  greatest  swell  among  these.] 

J  Inivo  been  extremely  seedy  for  the  past  few  days,  and 
could  not  ride  my  donkey,  as  he  was  loaded.  Apart  from  this 
consideration  I  could  not  attempt  to  ride,  as  I  was  suffering 
from  bilious  remittent  fever,  with  severe  abdominal  pain,  &c.,  &c. 


1887.]  FBOM   CAPE   TOWN   TO   LEOPOLDVILLE.  45 

J^Iy  tongue  lias  been  all  the  time  coated  with  a  thick,  dry, 
black  fur,  the  worst  I  ever  saw. 

April  22. — I  took  a  variety  of  medicines,  changed  my 
quarters  from  the  hot  tent  to  a  straw-and-mud  hut  at  the 
station  nearer  to  the  river  (by  kind  permission  of  Lieut. 
Liebrichts,  commandant),  but  experienced  very  little  relief  in- 
deed. I  feel  extremely  prostrate,  and  can  take  no  nourishment, 
except  a  little  milk  and  arrowroot — everything  more  solid  I 
attempted  to  swallow  was  at  once  rejected.  A  general  parade 
was  held  to-day.  I  handed  over  my  company  to  Bonny,  as  he 
was  kind  enough  to  take  charge  of  it  for  me  during  my  illness. 

A  large  number  of  our  men  are  hardly  able  to  walk  from 
jiggers  in  their  feet. 

April  23. — Mr.  Stanley  continued  his  arrangements  about 
the  steamers.  I  was  compelled  to  remain  in  bed  all  day — 
utterly  prostrate. 

April  24. — I  got  out  of  bed  and  managed  to  crawl  to  camp  ; 
there  was  a  great  deal  to  do  before  starting,  so  I  made  a 
desperate  eifort  to  be  about,  as  I  was  a  little  better,  although 
still  extremely  weak.  I  received  encouraging  news  from  ]\Ir. 
Stanley,  who  told  me  that  Bonny's  return  of  my  company  was 
the  best  of  any;  however,  I  discovered  afterwards,  to  my 
great  disappointment,  that  he  had  meant  the  neat  and  official 
way -in  which  the  return  was  made,  and  not  the  actual  state 
of  the  company.  I  had  lost  four  rifles  ;  but,  as  Stairs  has 
handed  in  three  spare  ones,  there  is  but  one  missing,  and  this 
was  taken  by  a  deserter.  I  managed  to  visit  all  the  sick. 
In  the  afternoon  I  received  orders  from  Mr.  Stanley  to  leave 
— with  Barttelot— in  advance,  in  the  stern-wheeler  Stanley. 

As  there  were  no  rations  in  camp,  Jameson  was  sent  off  to 
shoot  hippo  meat  for  the  men. 

April  25. — I  embarked  on  the  Stanleij,  with  F  Co.  (now 
sixty-seven  strong),  and  my  two  gun-bearers  and  donkey. 
Barttelot  also  embarked  with  sixty  Soudanese.  We  were  pro- 
vided with  a  few  boxes  of  brass  rods  (matako) — the  money  of 
the  country.  After  steaming  for  five  hours  and  a  half,  we 
reached  an  American  Mission  station,  where  we  stopped.  We 
were  kindly  received  by  these  missionaries,  and  I  ventured  to 
eat  some  meat — for  the  first  time  for  five  days. 

We  cut  a  good  deal  of  wood  on  shore  for  the  steamer,  and 
had  most  of  it  conveyed  on  board  before  the  men  retired  for 


4G  EXPEIilEXCES  IN  EQUATOEIAL  AFBICA.  [1887. 

the  niglit.  All  our  men  slept  on  shore,  close  to  the  village  of 
Mpoko. 

Barttelot  felt  feverish  this  evening :  I  found  his  temperature 
101°  F.  The  American  missionaries  live  chiefly  on  chilavanga — 
native  bread  or  dough,  which  is  not  unlike  "  jDotato-cake,"  and 
is  made  from  manioc  root.  The  root  is  left  macerating  in  water 
till  it  has  become  almost  decomposed  ;  this  process  has  the  effect 
of  removing  the  poisonous  principles.  It  is  then  pounded  up 
and  made  into  bread.  The  natives  live  almost  entirely  on 
this  diet;  we  shall  be  obliged  to  live  on  it  by-and-by — a 
comforting  reflection  ! 

April  26. — We  had  the  remainder  of  the  wood  carried  on 
board,  and  steamed  off  at  7  a.m.  I  got  very  ill  about  10  a.m., 
as  I  had  been  at  work  with  the  men  since  4.30  a.m.,  and  had 
got  chilled. 

We  stopped  at  3  p.m.  ;  went  on  shore,  and  cut  a  large  quan- 
tity of  wood,  to  be  used,  like  the  rest,  as  fuel  for  the  steamer. 
Barttelot's  temperature  this  evening  was  the  same  as  on  last 
evening,  101°  F. 

April  27. — Started  at  6  a.m.,  and  stopped  at  9.30  a.m., 
near  a  village,  where  we  all  disembarked.  The  natives, 
on  seeing  us,  all  ran  away  into  the  bush,  in  great  fright, 
evidently ;  this  demonstration  was  satisfactorily  explained 
to  us  on  learning  that  their  village  was,  not  very  long  ago, 
burnt  by  the  C.  F.  S.  officers  for  some  misdemeanour — one 
of  the  advantages  of  having  civilised  neighbours !  In  order 
to  calm  their  apprehensions,  we  went  on  in  front,  unarmed, 
iind  accompanied  by  an  interpreter.  When  they  saw  that  we 
meant  no  harm  to  them  they  gradually  returned,  one  by  one  ; 
iind  we  had  the  customary  "  palaver  "  with  the  chief,  who,  after 
a  little  time,  became  quite  confiding,  and  presented  us  with  a 
goat  and  some  bananas,  as  a  token  of  friendship.  We  gave 
him,  in  return,  thirty-nine  matako,  and  we  concluded  our 
interview  on  excellent  terms.  By  these  friendly  means  we 
obtained  the  service  of  guides  for  the  next  day,  and  the  men 
procured  a  supply  of  chikwanga. 

Barttelot  and  myself  dined  off  my  last  box  of  sardines,  and 
wo  retired  to  rest  for  the  night,  comparatively  well  and  hap[)y, 
at  7  p.m. 

April  28.— I  took  a  look  at  my  watch  at  4.15  a.m.,  and 
commenced  my  elementary  toilet.     In  about  half    an  hour 


1887.]  FROM   CAPE   TOWN   TO   LEOPOLBVILLE.  47 

the  bugler  sounded  the  reveille.  At  daybreak  we  marched 
through  the  village  and  held  another  conference  with  the 
chief  of  the  village  before  we  obtained  our  guides.  We  then 
marched  off,  and  got  through  twelve  miles  before  noon. 

One  of  our  men  deserted  on  the  way.  We  crossed  a  great 
number  of  tracks  of  the  elephant,  the  buffalo,  and  the  hippo. 

April  29. — We  started  at  daybreak,  and  reached  a  village 
about  7  A.M.,  where  we  were  obliged  to  stay  about  two  hours 
diplomatising  with  the  natives  in  order  to  obtain  fresh  guides, 
as  our  former  ones  had  sulked  and  would  come  no  further. 

We  marched  till  11.30  a.m.,  when  we  met  a  river,  at  which 
we  camped,  having  learned  that  the  next  water-supply  was 
four  hours'  march  away.  As  it  was  still  early  we  sent  back 
to  see  if  any  trace  could  be  found  of  the  man  who  had  deserted, 
but  without  result.  Many  of  our  Zanzibaris  know  this  part  of 
the  world  well,  as  they  were  employed  on  the  Congo  by  Mr. 
Stanley,  when  he  was  Governor  of  the  "  Free  State."  Their 
knowledge  has  its  good  and  its  evil  fruits. 

April  30. — We  marched  sixteen  miles — about  ten  or  twelve 
as  the  crow  flies.  We  then  halted  at  a  morass,  situated  in  the 
midst  of  a  large  open  grass  plain,  where  we  got  peaty  water  to 
drink.  I  shot  a  few  pigeons,  which  we  were  very  glad  to  eat. 
At  the  last  village,  three  miles  from  the  halting-place,  the 
natives  refused  to  let  us  know  where  the  water  was. 

Early  in  the  day  we  crossed  a  very  deep  and  rapid  river,  the 
banks  of  which  were  extremely  precipitous.  The  bank  on  this 
(the  eastern)  side  was  about  perpendicular,  still  my  donkey 
clambered  safely  up,  although  I .  thought,  as  I  approached  it 
from  the  water,  that  it  would  have  been  quite  impossible  for  him 
to  do  it.  It  certainly  would  have  been  to  an  English  donkey — 
or  an  Irish  one. 

The  Soudanese  march  very  badly — they  are  always  lagging 
behind,  and  causing  a  great  deal  of  trouble  to  bring  them  up. 

May  1. — Left  at  5.30  a.m.  and  at  10  a.m.  reached  the  large 
village  of  Mswata.  Barttelot  and  myself  interviewed  the 
chief,  who  graciously  accommodated  us  with  huts,  and  also 
housed  our  men.  He  even  presented  us  with  a  goat  and  a  fowl 
in  token  of  brotherly  friendship.  We  purchased  a  supply  of 
manioc  [called  mohoga  in  the  Kiswahili  dialect]. 

We  are  to  remain  here  till  Mr.  Stanley  arrives,  and  employ 
ourselves    in  the  interval  in  chopping  wood  to  provide  fuel 


48  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBIGA.  [1887. 

for  our  steamers.   We  expect  him  to  arrive  with  the  Expedition 
in  a  few  days,  en  route  for  the  Aruwimi. 

May  2. — We  continued  to  cut  wood  all  day.  The  men  were 
divided  into  batches  in  doing  this  work,  and  they  went  about 
in  search  of  the  fallen  and  wiihered  trees,  which  were  the  only 
ones  we  could  utilise,  as  the  green  timber  of  the  fresh  ones 
would  not  burn  to  advantage,  being,  of  course,  too  juicy.  The 
wood  is  like  mahogany  in  consistence,  but  still  harder,  and 
brownish  in  colour — iron-wood  I  believe  it  is. 

We  visited  several  chiefs^  who  received  us  in  a  friendly 
manner.  One  of  them  presented  us  with  a  goat  and  a  fowl. 
Such  presents  have,  however,  by  no  means  the  same  significance 
as  in  more  civilised  communities — they  simply  indicate  the 
existence  of  a  hope  of  receiving  double  the  value  in  return. 
Mr.  Stanley  had  a  station  years  ago  at  Mswata ;  but  his  kitchen, 
and  another  small  house  of  European  design,  are  the  only  traces 
of  his  sojourn  that  we  found  remaining. 

There  is  no  lack  of  provisions  here ;  we,  accordingly, 
utilised  the  favourable  O23portunity  of  fortifying  ourselves 
against  probable  future  starvation. 

May  3. — Early  out  of  bed  and  vigorously  at  work ;  the 
absence  of  the  hurry  and  worry  of  marching,  and  the  presence 
of  a  well-stocked  larder  are  telling  visibly  on  the  physique  of 
all  of  us. 

May  4. — "We  expected  the  arrival  of  our  leader.  We  had 
cut  wood  enough  to  work  the  three  steamers  for  one  day.*  I 
was  to  have  gone  after  elephant  and  antelope  for  the  day,  but 
my  promised  guide  did  not  turn  up.  Barttelot  and  myself 
are  beginning  to  feel  unwell  to-day.  I  am  afraid  it  is  merely 
due  to  the  sudden  transition  from  scanty  fare  to  rank  over- 


(  ^^  ) 


CHxVPTER  III. 

THE   EIVER   JOURNEY   FROM   MSWATA    TO   YAMBUYA. 

Arrival  of  tlie  steamers  at  Mswata — Kwamoutli  Station — Tobacco  cultiva- 
tions— Elaborate  hair-dressing  of  the  men — Colour  of  the  Kwa  River — 
Stalking  game  in  the  early  m^irning — I  shoot  a  hippo — The  Stanley 
steamer — We  reach  Bolobo — My  uncomfortable  quarters  on  board  the 
Henry  Reed — Lukolela  Mission  Station — Illness  of  Jameson  and  Nelson 
— Zanzibar!  grievances — Profuse  vegetation  on  the  Upper  Congo  banks 
— The  Mohammedan  fast  of  Ramadan — Equator  Station — The  "  Black 
River" — The  natives  of  Uranga  village — Entertainment  at  Bangala 
Station — Death  of  Fathel  Mohammed — Our  Somalis  agiin  ill — Orchids 
and  monkeys  in  the  forest — Hostile  demonstration  at  Upoto — The  rite 
of  "blood  brotherhood" — Stanley's  epithet,  "  Bula  Matari" — Upoto 
women — We  enter  the  cannibal  regions  of  the  U^^pcr  Congo — Idols  and 
ornaments  of  the  natives — Collapse  of  the  Stanley  deck-houses — Grass 
fire  adjoining  our  camj^) — The  burnt  village  near  Yalumbo — Tlie  Aruwimi 
River  —  Stanley's  black  boy,  Baruti  —  Canoes  at  Basoko — Warlike 
attitude  of  the  natives — Arrival  at  Yambuya,  where  we  land  by 
stratagem — The  native  huts — Baruti  and  others  desert  us,  returning  to 
Basoko — Our  camp  is  placed  in  a  state  of  defence — Mr.  Stanley's 
future  plans— Manioc  fields  at  Yambuya — Major  Barttelot  arrives  with 
th"  Henry  Heed — Tippu-Tib's  station  at  Stanley  Falls — Cutting  fire- 
wood for  the  steamers — Our  fortified  camp — Lieut.  Stairs  sick ;  anxiety 
regarding  his  condition — Preparations  for  the  march  to  Lake  Albert 
Kyanza. 

May  5. — The  S.S.  Stanley  arrived  at  11  a.m.,  with  a  barge 
belonging  to  the  Sanford  Expedition  hashed  alongside,  carrying 
altogether  about  350  men,  including  Stairs,  Nelson,  Jephson, 
and  Jameson.  Half  an  hour  later,  Mr.  Stanley  himself  arrived 
in  the  Peace,  accompanied  by  two  boats,  which  conveyed  Mr. 
Ward,  with  the  Somalis  and  some  Zanzibaris.  Another  hour 
and  a  half  of  expectation  brought  us  the  Henry  Beecl,  accom- 
panied by  two  boats  carrying  Zanzibaris,  and  Tippu-Tib  with 
his  party.  Bonny,  and  Walker,  the  engineer,  were  also  on. 
board. 

Jephson  and  Nelson  were  now  ill ;  so  I  treated  them, 
and  attended  to  the  sick  among  the  men.  One  man  in 
Jephson's  company  died  to-day.  I  put  three  sick  men  on 
board,  in  exchange  for  three  of  my  own  men,  who  asked  to  be 


50  EXrEBIENCES   IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

allowed  to  marcli.  [This  was  tlie  first  and  last  occasion  I  have 
ever  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  Mr,  AVard.] 

May  G.— Mr.  Stanley  loft  early  with  the  steamers.  He 
gave  orders  to  Barttelot  and  myself  to  continue  our  march  to 
the  mouth  of  the  Kwa  Kivcr  (about  twenty  miles  off),  and 
promised  that  the  Stanley  would  return  on  the  9th  to  bring  us 
to  Bolobo,  where  he  would  remain  with  the  whole  force  of  the 
Expedition  for  a  few  days.  My  company  is  now  sixty- 
seven  strong  ;  Barttelot's  fifty-eight.  Accordingly,  we  moved 
off  at  11  A.M. ;  and,  after  a  march  of  ten  miles,  halted  at  a 
village,  where  our  principal  transaction  was  the  purchase  of  a 
couple  of  chickens,  for  five  brass  rods  each.  These  brass  rods 
(matako)  are  about  22  inches  long,  of  the  thickness  of  an 
ordinary  pen-handle,  and  easily  bent  into  bangles  and  other 
ornaments  to  make  the  natives  look  smart. 

May  7. — AVe  resumed  our  march  at  5.30  A.m.,  and  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Kassai  river,  near  a  village  named 
Kwamouth,  a  former  station  of  Mr.  Stanley's.  The  French 
missionaries  occupy  a  house  which  was  built  by  him  during 
his  residence  here — it  is  the  only  one  left  of  the  older 
settlement.  The  missionaries  entertained  us  most  hospitably  ; 
housed  and  fed  us  for  the  night,  and  also  provided  shelter  for 
the  men.  This  was  very  opportune,  as  rain  fell  very  heavily 
during  the  night. 

In  return  for  the  kindness  of  the  missionaries,  we  presented 
them  with  a  goat,  a  chicken,  and  some  rice  and  peas. 

JMay  8. — We  cut  wood  for  the  Stanley  and  did  some  sewing. 
The  missionaries  continue  to  bestow  their  hospitality. 

I  have  noticed,  since  we  left  Leopoldville,  that  tobacco  is 
cultivated  in  great  quantities  by  the  natives  along  our  line  of 
march,  but  does  not  grow  wild.  The  women  smoke  their  pipes 
much  more  constantly  than  the  men. 

Tlic  men  have  their  upper  incisors  removed,  or  filed  down  in 
the  centre,  so  as  to  form  a  /\-s]iaped  notch.  Their  hair  is 
dressed  up  in  a  very  elaborate  fashion — a  chignon-like  mass  is 
formed,  with  something  inside  it  to  preserve  its  shape.  The 
women  do  not  pay  nearly  so  much  attention  to  their  hair  as 
the  men,  and  some  of  them  let  it  grow  completely  wild.  Some 
of  tlie  men  wear  a  pair  of  liorns,  formed  by  plaiting  the  hair  so 
as  to  project  laterally  on  either  side  above  the  ears,  and  a  third 
hairy  plait  hanging  from  one  side  of  the  chin.     Also,  the  men . 


1887.]  FROM  MSWATA    TO    YAMBUYA.  51 

carry  a  wooden  rest  for  the  neck  (in  lying  down),  to  prevent 
disarrangement  of  the  hair.  Some  have  their  hair  plaited  right 
down  on  to  the  scalp,  so  that  the  plaits  cannot  be  lifted  up. 
The  latter  are  most  elaborately  worked,  and  are  well  kept  in 
their  form  and  desired  position  by  a  cohesive  mixture  of  castor- 
oil  and  filth  of  varied  composition. 

]\Iay  9. — Were  employed  to-day  also  in  cutting  up  wood  for 
fuel. 

May  10. — We  received  a  present  this  morning  from  a  neigh- 
bouring chief,  in  the  shape  of  a  goat,  a  chicken,  twelve  cakes 
of  chikwanga,  a  banana-leaf  of  manioc  flour,  and  ten  heads  of 
Indian  corn.  As  is  customary,  we  made  a  present  in  return ; 
consisting  of  fifty  matako — the  value  of  one  matako  is  three 
halfpence,  wholesale. 

To-day  my  poor  donkey  has  high  fever,  the  effect  of  crossing 
the  last  river.  He  has  had  attacks  of  this  kind  several  times  up 
to  the  present,  and  always  following  the  same  cause.  His  tem- 
perature runs  up  very  high,  his  hair  stands  on  end,  his  ears 
droop,  and  he  looks  very  miserable  all  over.  Like  master,, 
like  animal.  I  nearly  always  get  fever  myself  when  I  wade^ 
a  deep  stream — a  slight  febricula  has  frequently  followed 
even  a  cold  bath  since  I  commenced  to  cross  Africa.  So  I 
have  been  obliged  to  make  a  rule  to  have  my  bath  always 
comfortably  tepid,  i.e.  when  practicable. 

May  11. — Barttelot  was  feverish  to-day.  His  temperature 
102 --l'  F.  I  have  arranged  to  take  a  day's  shooting  as  there 
are  great  numbers  of  game  here.  Early  morning  is  a  good 
time  to  get  them,  so  I  have  determined  to  sleep  in  the  bush 
to-night,  and  lie  in  wait  near  the  water  where  they  come  to 
drink,  as  they  do  in  the  morning  regularly.  By  following 
the  trail  of  elephants  they  can  be  found  standing  asleep  about 
noon — generally  in  the  middle  of  the  plain — and,  by  ap- 
proaching quietly,  one  can  often  get  within  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  without  disturbing  them. 

The  Kwa  Eiver  is  very  much  darker  than  the  Congo. 
This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  its  water  contains  a  very  large 
quantity  of  suspended  matter,  making  it  very  muddy  indeed. 

May  12. — I  was  disappointed  in  my  stalking  this  morning, 
after  my  night  in  the  bush.  We  are  now  anxiously  awaiting 
the  return  of  the  steamer  for  us.  Barttelot  was  much  better, 
as  I  had  given  him  a  great  deal  of  quinine.     We  cannot,  of 

E  2 


52  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

course,  guess  the  cause  of  the  delay  of  the  steamer,  which  was 
confidently  promised  us  for  the  9th ;  perhaps  an  accident  has 
occurred,  as  Mr.  Stanley  had  anticipated  a  long  shauri  (palaver), 
or,  peradventure,  a  row,  with  the  natives,  so  that  we  have  some 
reason  to  be  uneasy.  Our  supply  of  matako  is  running  short, 
and  Ave  have  given  another  goat  and  some  rice  to  the  mission- 
aries. AVe  determined  that  if  the  steamer  has  not  arrived  by 
to-morrow  morning  I  am  to  go  up  river,  with  eight  Zanzibaris 
and  their  rifles,  in  a  canoe,  and  try  to  find  out  the  cause  of  the 
delay, 

AVhile  out  in  a  canoe  this  morning,  I  had  a  shot  at  a  hippo, 
which  passed  through  the  ear.  It  sank  when  hit :  this  you 
must  almost  always  anticipate,  and  sometimes  several  hours 
elapse  before  it  floats  to  the  surface.  In  the  meantime  it  may 
be  carried  far  down  stream  by  the  force  of  the  current,  so  one 
has  to  wait  and  watch — with  or  without  patience.  The  entire 
beast  weighs  about  2  tons  ;  the  meat  is  greatly  prized  by  the 
natives  for  food ;  the  hide  is  correspondingly  useful  in  making 
shields,  which  protect  the  body  from  arrows  in  their  tribal 
wars. 

While  watcliiug  and  waiting  for  the  re-appearance  of  my 
wounded  hippo,  the  Stanley  came  in  sight,  which  relieved  us 
of  our  principal  anxiety.     So  I  left  my  hippo  to  his  fate. 

The  chief  of  the  neighbouring  village  came  upon  the  scene 
to-day,  and  enjoyed  a  rather  warm  reception  at  our  hands,  as 
he  has  been  long  treating  the  missionary  fathers  in  an 
extremely  high-handed  fashion.  He  was  now  frightened  at 
unexpectedly  meeting  with  our  superior  force. 

Pineapples  grow  in  abundance  here. 

]\LvY  13. — We  were  actively  astir  in  the  early  morning,  as  we 
liave  been  in  good  spirits  since  the  arrival  of  the  S.S.  Stanleij 
dissipated  our  anxieties.  All  the  'wood  was  put  on  board,  the 
men  embarked,  and  we  started  at  6  a.m.  for  Bolobo. 

As  the  voyage  progressed,  I  found  myself  passing  into  an 
increasingly  bad  humour,  and  very  talkative,  which  I  now 
know  well  are  the  premonitory  symptoms  of  coming  fever. 
At  5  r.M.,  my  temperature  was  102°  F.;  at  7  p.m.,  it  was 
J  05°  F.  I  took  25  grains  of  quinine  as  an  antipyretic 
dose.  Shortly  afterwards,  in  the  sweating  stage  (6  p.m.),  I 
very  nearly  made  a  "Humane"  medal,  as  a  niiin  fell  over- 
board, and  on  hearing  a  great  fuss  I  rushed  out  of  my  cabin, 


1887.]  FROM  MSWATA    TO    YAMBUYA.  53 

and  was  about  to  jumj)  into  the  river  ;  but,  hesitating  between 
discretion  and  valour,  I  afforded  tlie  submerged  individual  an 
opportunity  of  seizing  a  rope,  with  which  he  was  hauled  on 
deck. 

We  stopped  about  4  p.m.,  and  went  on  shore  to  cut  wood  for 
fuel.     We  then  camped  for  the  night. 

May  14. — We  continued  our  wood-cutting  this  morning, 
till  about  7  p.m.  I  felt  pretty  well ;  my  fever  had  quite  gone. 
Barttelot's  temperature,  however,  still  remained  pretty  high. 

We  steamed  off  a  little  before  8  A.M.,  and  arrived  at  Boloba 
at  4.30  P.M.  Barttelot  and  myself  have  now  done  over 
100  miles  extra  marching. 

After  disembarking  at  Bolobo,  I  visited  all  the  sick,  both 
officers  and  men ;  there  were,  of  course,  a  number  of  new 
cases. 

May  15. — I  was  transferred  to  the  Eenry  Beed,  with  thirty- 
five  Zanzibaris.  Tippu-Tib's  party  also  came  on  board  with  us. 
It  is  now  arranged  that  Barttelot  is  to  remain  at  the  pro- 
posed entrenched  camp  at  Yambuya.  Bonny  and  Ward  were 
left  at  Bolobo  with  131  men,  to  follow  us  in  the  Stanley  after 
an  interval  of  fifty  days.  She  is  to  return  for  this  purpose 
from  Stanley  Pool,  and  to  bring  with  the  men  the  remaining 
stores  which  we  are  now  leaving  behind.  I  left  Bonny  some 
medi''ines,  instruments,  and  comforts,  for  which  I  got  a  receipt ;. 
also  a  book  of  medical  and  surgical  instructions. 

May  16. — 1  found  extremely  uncomfortable  quarters  on 
board  the  Henry  Beed  ;  as  there  is  but  one  cabin,  and  this 
is  occupied  during  the  day  by  eleven  filthy,  dirty  negresses 
of  Tippu-Tib's  harem.  I  am  obliged  to  occupy  this  mal- 
odorous den  by  night,  so  I  naturally  spend  as  much  time  as 
I  can  on  deck,  to  get  the  fresh  air.  I  partitioned  off  one  part 
of  the  cabin — for  toilet  purposes — by  suspending  a  blanket. 

We  stopped  at  4  p.m.,  and  renewed  our  wood-cutting 
operations. 

May  17. — Everybody  came  on  board  early,  so  there  was 
a  great  deal  of  bustling.  The  order  is  that  all  persons  con- 
nected with  the  Expedition  are  to  spend  the  night  on  shore. 
All  space  was  occupied,  and  the  boats,  which  were  lashed 
alongside  the  steamer,  were  crowded  with  men.  We  started 
at  daybreak,  and  stopped  at  4.30  p.m.,  at  a  very  diflicult 
landing-place.     The  trees  grow  down  to  the  edge  of  the  bank, 


54  EXPEPxIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

and  spread  their  branches  a  long  way  over  the  water,  and,  as 
the  banks  themselves  have  been  pretty  extensively  undermined 
by  the  action  of  the  current— leaving  withered  trunks  of  trees 
and  snags  above  the  projecting  shelf,  while  crocodiles  and 
hippo  floundered  in  the  mud  below— the  operation  of  landing 
was  not  only  difllcult,  but  dangerous. 

I  assured  Tippu-Tib  that  I  would  do  what  I  could  to  make 
him  comfortable,  and  recommended  him  to  have  his  women 
washed. 

May  18. — Spent  another  uncomfortable  day.  We  followed 
Mr.  Stanley  as  well  as  we  could  —  he  steamed  ahead  of 
us  in  the  Peace— till  about  3  p.m.,  when  we  went  aground. 
We  then  changed  our  course  and  made  for  an  island, 
•where  we  put  up  for  the  night,  and  cut  wood.  Since  leaving 
Bolobo  the  river  widens  out,  and  in  this  part  of  its  course 
has  a  width  of  about  eleven  miles.  Traces  of  the  elephant 
and  the  buffalo  may  be  seen  close  to  the  bank  here  and 
there,  while  hundreds  of  hippo  and  crocodiles  are  visible 
every  day. 

May  id. — We  arrived  at  the  Lukolela  mission  station,  and 
found  the  Peace  there,  but  no  sign  of  the  Stanley,  so  that 
everybody  thought  she  must  have  met  with  an  accident. 
The  mission  station  consists  of  one  straw  hut,  built  close  to 
the  remains  of  a  former  C.F.S.  station  erected  by  Mr.  Stanley. 
It  belongs  to  the  English  Baptist  Missionary  Society.  Two 
very  agreeable  white  missionaries  live  here,  in  solitary  inno- 
<;ence  of  what  is  going  on  in  the  civilised  world,  contentedly 
devoting  their  energies  to  the  conversion  of  their  negro 
neighbours. 

Our  leader  is,  as  usual,  very  reticent.  He  gave  orders  to 
the  captain  of  the  Ilennj  Reed  to  get  up  steam,  as  he  said  he 
wanted  to  go  down  river  in  search  -of  the  Stanley.  However, 
lie  afterwards  started  in  the  Peace  at  4  p.m.,  but  in  an  hour 
had  sighted  the  Stanley,  and  returned  with  her  at  (i  p.m. 

31  AY  20. — Jameson  and  Nelson  were  suffering  greatly  from 
an  attack  of  acute  gastro-intcstinal  catarrh.  This  is  a  very 
usual  ailment  of  the  white  man  in  sub-tropical  Africa,  and 
often  simulates  dysentery  ratlier  closely;  but  it  differs  from 
true  dysentery  in  the  fact  that  the  large  intestine  is  not  so 
much  allectcd — it  does  not  proceed  to  ulceration — and  there 
in  no  tenesmus.     I  gave  them  milk,  and  administered  astrin- 


1887.]  FROM  M SWAT  A    TO    YAMBUYA.  55 

gent  medicines.  I  had  a  considerable  number  of  sick  on 
hand  besides,  to  all  of  whom  I  gave  the  necessary  medicines. 

At  9  P.M.  abont  a  hundred  Zanzibaris,  with  their  rifles,  came 
from  the  Stanley  to  interview  Mr.  Stanley,  and  lay  their  griev- 
ances before  him.  They  complained  that  they  had  been  un- 
justly punished  by  the  officers  on  board.  Jephson  and  Stairs 
— against  whom  the  complaint  was  made — were  questioned 
on  the  subject,  when  it  appeared  that  the  men  had  looted 
a  native  Adllage  in  direct  disobedience  to  orders,  and  the 
]3lunder  was,  consequently,  confiscated  as  a  punishment. 
Jephson  and  Stairs  were  both  ailing  ;  some  feverish  language 
followed,  but  after  further  explanation  and  apology  the  affair 
was  smoothed  over,  and  never  once  thought  of  again  by  either 
black  or  white. 

May  21. — At  daybreak  we  started  in  the  steamer,  and  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river.  Profuse  vegetation  of  the  richest  type 
abounded  on  either  bank. 

Since  yesterday,  IMr.  Stanley  has  decided  to  allow  each 
officer  four  matako  per  diem  to  provide  chickens  for  food.  As 
only  the  smallest  chickens  can  be  purchased  for  three  or  four 
matako,  there  is,  owing  to  the  men's  extravagance,  no  danger 
of  over-feeding. 

May  22.— We  passed  Ngombe,  and  other  large  villages. 
Still  -the  same  lavish  profusion  of  vegetation  flourishes  on  the 
banks  of  the  Congo. 

May  28. — Preparations  for  the  great  Mohammedan  fast  of 
Eamadan  (the  Muslim  "  Lent  ")  began. 

We  passed  the  village  of  Usinde.  At  Lukolela  wo  purchased 
two  fowls ;  no  more  could  be  procured,  as  they  were  very  scarce, 
so  we  were  obliged  to  arrange  that  these  should  satisfy  the 
appetite  of  three  of  us — the  captain  of  the  Henry  Meed,  Walker 
(the  engineer),  and  myself — for  four  days.  The  captain  was, 
however,  possessed  of  some  tinned  sausage,  which  was  thrown 
in ;  the  rest  of  the  menu  was  filled  up  with  beans  and  rice. 

The  three  steamers,  Stanley,  Peace,  and  Henry  Beed,  kept 
together  till  10  a.m.  ;  when  the  wood-fuel  of  the  former  ran 
short.     We  expect  to  get  to  the  Equator  Station  to-morrow. 

The  missionaries  at  Lukolela  told  me  tliat  whenever  a 
chief  dies  several  people  are  sacrificed  ;  this  explains  why  it  is 
that  so  many  skulls  surround  some  of  the  graves — an  effective 
remedy  in  "  congested  districts." 


56  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOEIAL   AFEICA.  [1887. 

We  passed  the  village  of  Irebu.  There  are  large  inland 
lakes  not  fiir  from  this  part  of  the  Congo. 

We  passed  the  mouth  of  a  very  dark  water  tributary  of 
the  Congo. 

Tippu-Tib  and  the  members  of  his  party,  and  also  all  tlie 
Nubian  members  of  the  Expedition,  observe  the  Ramadan 
ceremony  religiously ;  they  abstain  from  food  till  the  setting 
of  the  sun.  The  Zanzibaris  and  Somalis  are  not  such  earnest 
Muslims. 

May  24. — Wo  arrived  at  Equator  Station,  which  is  situated 
14  mile  north  of  the  line,  about  5.3o  p.m.  We  found  it  to 
consist  of  two  houses,  the  first  (as  we  passed  up  river)  is- 
occupied  by  the  Baptist  missionaries,  one  of  whom  is  an  Irish- 
man; the  second  by  Mr.  Clave,  of  the  Sanford  Expedition, 
and  Captain  Van  Gele,  of  the  Congo  Free  State. 

Ivory  is  the  chief  trade  of  the  place.  It  is  purchased  from 
the  natives  for  spoons,  forks,  plates,  beads,  cloth,  &c.,  &c.,  and 
afterwards  sold  for  eight  or  ten  shillings  per  lb. ;  the  dealers 
realising  a  couple  of  hundred  per  cent,  on  the  transfer. 

May  25. — We  spent  the  whole  of  this  day  cutting  wood, 
which  is  now  a  very  necessary  item  with  us.  The  stay  also 
gave  the  men  the  chance  of  buying  food.  We  all  dined  with 
Captain  Yan  Gele  and  Mr.  Glave,  and  enjoyed  a  good  and 
abundant  meal. 

I  was  changed  to  the  Stanley,  and  Jephson  took  my  place  on 
the  Henry  Reed.  This  was  on  account  of  the  large  number  of 
sick  on  board  the  former.  I  am  delighted  at  the  change,  but 
poor  Jephson's  olfactory  and  optic  nerves  will  be  runied  by 
having  to  sleep  downstairs. 

May  26. — We  left  the  Equator  Station  at  daybreak.  Im- 
diately  afterwards  we  passed  the  "Black  liiver,"  so  called 
from  the  dce})ly  dark  character  of'  its  water.  The  river  is 
thickly  studded  with  islands  in  these  parts,  which  are  quite 
covered  over  with  trees  and  underwood.  The  islands  usually 
vary  from  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  four  miles  in  length. 

3Iay  27. — Wo  arrived  at  the  village  of  Uranga  about  11  a.m., 
where  we  stopped  and  remained  all  day.  This  respite  was  in 
order  to  give  the  men  an  opportunity  of  buying  some  provisions, 
which  they  did — in  the  shape  of  bananas,  manioc-bread,  and 
plantains.  The  Zanzibaris  thrive  very  well  on  this  food,  but 
it  docs  not  seem  to  agree  by  any  means  so  well  with  the 


18S7.]  FROM  3ISWATA    TO    YAMBUYA.  57 

Somalis  and  Soudanese,  who  continue  very  delicate  and  sickly, 
especially  the  Somalis.  We  also  managed  to  procure  some 
chickens  and  a  few  goats. 

The  men  in  this  part  of  the  country  all  carry  long  spears 
and  shields ;  they  have  no  guns  (unlike  the  natives  down 
river).  The  women  wear  a  very  artistically  plaited  kilt  made 
of  bark  fibre,  and  suspended  from  the  waist :  they  also  wear 
broad  straps  over  the  breasts. 

May  28. — We  left  very  early ;  a  large  crowd  of  natives 
came  to  see  us  off.  AmoDgst  them  was  a  chief,  who  presented 
Jameson  with  a  goat  last  night.  He  had  given  it  nominally 
as  a  present ;  but,  as  he  received  nothing  in  return,  he  came 
back  to  claim  his  lost  property.  All  the  African  chiefs 
appear  to  be  fond  of  giving  presents,  but  it  is  always  under- 
stood (at  least  by  themselves)  that  they  are  to  receive  some- 
thing more  valuable  in  return. 

May  29. — The  three  steamers  started  together,  keeping 
their  respective  distances  fairly  well  as  they  went  on.  Here 
and  there,  as  we  ascended  the  river,  the  natives  came  from  the 
banks  to  meet  us,  sculling  their  dug-out  canoes,  and  offering 
to  sell  us  chickens  and  manioc-bread.  They  were  certainly 
very  friendly  in  their  demeanour. 

May  30. — Abdi  Mohammed — a  Somali  boy — died  of  ex- 
haustion. 

After  two  and  a  half  hours'  steaming  we  reached  Bangala 
at  12.30  A.M.  This  is  the  furthest  station  on  the  Congo  at 
present  occupied  by  white  men.  The  native  village  is  a 
large  straggling  place,  extending  twelve  miles  in  length. 
The  small  Congo  Free  State  station — where  Lieutenant  Baert 
and  Lieutenant  Linant,  with  four  other  white  men,  live — 
is  surrounded  by  a  strong  earth-fortification,  and  includes 
a  brick  factory.  There  is  a  small  Krupp  gun  here,  which 
was  fired  three  times  in  quick  succession,  in  honour  of  our 
advent. 

The  women  appear  to  be  disproportionately  numerous  iiere ; 
they  wear  picturesque  fringes  of  brown  bark-fibre  cloth,  pretty 
nearly  identical  in  shape  and  make  with  a  Highland  kilt.  I 
could  not  help  thinking  at  the  moment  what  an  attractive 
ballet  costume  it  would  make  for  our  theatres  at  home. 

Barttelot  received  orders  to  embark  on  the  Hennj  Reed,  and 
accompany  Tippu-Tib  with  forty  Soudanese  as  far  as  Stanley 


58  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.  [1887. 

Falls ;  where  he  is  to  leave  him,  and  return  to  the  Aruwimi 
Kiver. 

The  little  steamer  En  Avant  was  now  exchanged  for  the 
Advance.  The  latter  boat  is  to  he  lashed  alongside  the 
Peace. 

We  dined  with  the  C.F.S.  officers.  After  dinner  our  leader 
made  a  short  speech ;  and  we  all  drank  the  health  of  Leopold 
II.,  King  of  the  Belgians,  in  the  only  bottle  of  champagne 
procurable  at  the  station. 

31  AY  31. — Major  Barttelot,  with  forty  Soudanese,  and  an 
interpreter,  left  in  the  Hennj  Reed — in  company  with  Tippu- 
'L'ib  and  his  party.  They  steamed  away  at  6  a.m.  His  orders 
are  to  proceed  till  he  arrives  close  to  the  "  Falls,"  land 
Tippu-Tib's  party,  and  then  return  to  the  Aruwimi  Eiver  to 
meet  us.  If  the  tallest  tree  at  the  mouth  of  the  Aruwimi  is 
then  found  "  blazed,"  it  will  be  a  sign  that  we  have  proceeded 
up  that  aflluent ;  otherwise  we,  who  follow  in  the  other  steamers, 
have  not  yet  arrived.  He  is  to  bring  back  a  bullock  from 
Tippu-Tib;  an  event  to  which  we  look  forward  with  eager 
anticipation,  for  we  have  grown  thoroughly  tired  of  tough  goat's 
fiesh. 

We  breakfasted  with  Lieuts.  Baert  and  Linant,  and  left  in 
our  respective  steamers  at  1  o'clock.  Before  starting,  I  pur- 
chased a  handsome  spear  for  a  tablespoonful  of  salt. 

June  1. — We  left  at  daybreak,  and  steamed  on  as  quickly 
as  we  could  so  as  to  catch  up  the  Peace,  which  had  had  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour's  start  of  us.  The  river  in  this  neighbour- 
hood is  divided  into  six  or  seven  channels,  separated  by  islands 
varying  in  length  from  half  a  mile  up  to  forty  miles,  so  that 
the  steamers  might  very  easily  lose  sight  of  one  another. 
This  will  be  a  source  of  anxiety  in  the  future,  as  we  have 
now  bade  good-bye  to  civilisation*  and  we  may  fall  among 
unfriendly  tribes  any  day ;  although,  up  to  the  present,  they 
have  certainly  shown  a  very  kindly  feeling  towards  us. 

We  had  a  very  heavy  fall  of  rain  to-day. 

At  Bangala  many  peo})le  suffer  from  elephantiasis.  This 
is  the  first  of  the  disease  I  have  seen  on  the  Congo. 

June  2. — Fathel  Mohammed  (one  of  our  Soudanese)  died 
this  morning  at  about  4  A.M.,  and  was  buried  before  the 
steamer  started.  He  suffered  from  sunstroke  on  the  march, 
before  leaving  Kwamouth ;    and  since  that  date  he  had  got 


1887.]  FEOM  M SWAT  A    TO    YAM  BUT  A,  59 

gradually  worse,  and  sank  at  last  from  exhaustion.  Jameson 
and  Jepbson  were  far  from  well  to-day. 

We  kept  close  to  the  Peace,  which  preceded  us  during  the 
whole  of  the  day's  journey.  One  of  our  chickens  died  a 
natural  death  to-day ;  and,  as  it  is  with  difficulty  we  can 
secure  even  one  a  day,  we  can  have  no  animal  food  for  the 
morrow,  and  are,  accordingly,  obliged  to  try  and  content  our- 
selves with  the  anticipation  of  biscuit,  rice,  and  plantains. 

June  3. — All  the  Somalis  are  ill :  one  of  them  dangerously 
so.  Their  failing  health  I  am  disposed  to  attribute  to  their 
being  accustomed  to  the  dry  desert  air  of  Aden,  and,  conse- 
quently, quite  unfit  for  the  conditions  of  life  here,  in  a  damp, 
swampy  country,  where  the  air  is  laden  with  vegetable 
emanations.  They  all  got  rice  and  biscuit,  in  addition  to  their 
ordinary  rations  of  matako,  on  account  of  their  delicate  health. 
Some  of  the  Zanzibaris,  and  a  few  of  the  Soudanese,  were  granted 
the  same  indulgence.  Our  interpreter,  Alexander,  has  also 
been  allowed  extras. 

On  to-day's  journey  we  steamed  vv'ell ;  passed  the  Peace, 
and  sighted  the  Henri/  Peed.  We  stopped  at  4  P.M.,  and 
proceeded  to  procure  some  wood  as  fuel. 

Jameson  was  much  worse  to-day  ;  he  had  a  very  bad  night. 

June  4. — Abukir  Mohammed — formerly  a  policeman,  and 
married — died  at  5  p.m.,  from  cerebral  disease.  He  had  already 
been  completely  comatose  for  two  days.  He  was  buried  close 
to  the  river's  bank.  Jameson  is  much  better,  and  able  to 
take  his  beef-tea,  arrowroot,  and  milk  with  considerable  relish. 
The  Peace  passed  us  this  morning.  I  gave  my  boys  the  rod 
for  losing  a  suit  of  pyjamas  belonging  to  me ;  I  shall  soon  be 
without  any  clothes  at  all,  and  must  have  recourse  to  the 
time-honoured  fig-leaf,  if  any  grow  in  this  land. 

There  is  an  enormous  quantity  of  orchilla-weed  in  this  part 
of  the  world ;  it  grows  from  both  dead  and  living  trees. 
Orchids  also  present  themselves  in  great  variety.  They  grow- 
on  the  larger  trees,  but  do  not  flower  except  where  exposed  to 
the  sun  rays.  There  are  no  good  fruits.  Camwood  is  common, 
and  is  much  used  as  a  dye  by  the  natives  of  the  Congo  banks. 

June  5. — ^Hundreds  of  monkeys  were  seen  among  the  trees 
to-day,  swinging  and  jumping  from  branch  to  branch ;  their 
movements  were  accompanied  by  the  most  comical  antics. 

We  have  not  seen  a  village  since  Friday  last  (ord  June). 


60  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

The  islands  in  this  part  of  the  river  are  much  longer,  and 
the  bush  by  which  they  are  occupied  is  extremely  thick  ; 
it  is  impossible  to  get  through  without  the  continuous  use  of 
bill-hooks. 

We  stopped  at  3  p.m.  to  cut  wood.  The  Hennj  Reed,  with 
Barttelot  and  Tippu-Tib,  passed  us  at  4  p.m. 

June  6. — We  started  early,  and  soon  sighted  the  Henrif 
Heed ;  after  which  we  soon  stuck  on  a  sandbank,  and  were  well 
behind  in  the  day's  race  before  we  could  get  clear.  We  have 
not  seen  the  Peace  (with  Mr.  Stanley  on  board)  since  Saturday 
afternoon  (4th  inst.)  Osman  Hadriz  (Nubian)  was  buried 
at  the  camp  last  night ;  he  sank  yesterday  from  the  extreme 
debility  produced  by  the  spreading  of  two  enormous  sloughing 
ulcers  on  his  leg.  I  had  a  good  night's  rest,  ^s  there  were  no 
mosquitoes.  The  air  during  the  day  was  beautifully  cool  and 
fresh ;  as  the  atmosphere  was  cloudy,  and  we  were  thus  quite 
shaded  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun.  There  Avere  orchids, 
on  every  other  tree  in  the  vicinity  of  our  camp  last  night ; 
but,  unfortunately,  they  are  not  in  flower. 

We  arrived  at  Upoto  at  10  a.m.,  and  we  naturally  expected 
to  find  tlie  Peace  before  us.  However,  there  was  no  steamer 
in  sight. 

As  the  men  had  finished  all  their  matako,  we  stopped  at 
the  village,  in  accordance  with  Mr.  Stanley's  previous  orders. 
As  we  neared  the  shore  all  the  women  ran  into  the  bush,  but 
the  men  came  to  the  shore  in  full  force,  and  all  armed  with 
spears  and  shields.  One  wild  Aborigine  had  an  old  musket 
which  he  flourished  around  his  head  as  he  ran  frantically  up 
and  down,  appearing  to  think  that  his  performance  would 
scare  us  from  the  bank.  In  order  to  avoid  a  direct  collision 
we  put  (jff  and  floated  down  stream  for  about  three  hundred 
yards;  and,  notwitlistanding  the  hostile  demonstration,  ven- 
tured to  land.  Through  the  medium  of  our  interpreter  we 
tried  to  appease  them,  and  succeeded — after  about  two  hours' 
palaver ;  when  they  consented  to  perform  the  rite  of  "  blood 
l)rotherh()()d."  This  duplex  operation  Stairs  consented  to 
perform  witli  the  chief.  It  consists  in  lancing  the  forearms 
of  the  two  persons  entering  into  the  compact,  and  mixing  the 
blood.  'J'he  natives  then  brought  food,  and  we  all  disem- 
barked immediately  afterwards.  Our  men  w^ent  off  in  detach- 
ments to  cut  wood.     At  about  4.30  p.m.  the  Peace  steamed  up. 


1887.]  FBOM  MSWATA    TO    TAMBTJYA.  61 

and  the  natives  all  ran  away  on  her  approach,  although  we 
told  them  that  it  was  Biila  Matari  (i.e.  Mr.  Stanley)  who  was 
coming.  Mr.  Stanley  had  this  name  given  him  by  the  natives 
on  the  Congo  years  ago.  It  means  the  "  rock-hreaher,"  and 
originated  on  one  occasion  when  the  native  workmen,  who 
were  engaged  in  constructing  a  road,  had  been  making  abortive 
attempts  to  break  a  large  obstructing  rock  with  their  sledges. 
In  order  to  encourage  them  to  more  energetic  efforts,  Mr.  Stanley 
took  a  sledge,  and,  saying  to  the  bystanding  workmen,  "  Look 
at  me,"  he — taking  skilful  advantage  of  the  direction  of  the 
planes  of  cleavage — with  a  well-directed  blow,  knocked  off  a 
huge  piece :  a  feat  which  made  an  immense  impression,  and 
led  to  the  conferring  of  the  above  epithet. 

We  feared  there  would  be  a  shindy  v/ith  the  natives  on 
Mr.  Stanley's  arrival,  but  they  did  not  give  any  trouble.  Our 
chief  was  annoyed  on  coming  on  shore,  and  said  that  we  had 
delayed  him.  The  misunderstanding  was,  however,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  the  Peace  had  steamed  ahead  of  us  on  Saturday 
(3rd  inst.),  and  we,  having  lost  sight  of  her  among  the  islands, 
accidentally  took  a  different  channel. 

The  men  received  six  matako  per  day— for  eight  days — to 
buy  food  Avith. 

The  shore  opposite  Upoto  is  covered  with  oyster  shells. 

June  7. — We  spent  the  early  part  of  the  day  in  cutting 
wood,  and  at  noon  we  steamed  off  in  company  with  the  Peace 
Very  few  of  the  natives  came  to  the  shore  to  see  us  off.  They 
remained  at  some  distance  off,  armed  with  spears  and  shields. 

The  women  at  Upoto  wear  no  clothes  whatever,  and  come 
up  to  us  in  the  most  unreserved  manner.  An  interesting- 
gradation  in  the  arrangement  of  the  female  costume  has  been 
observable  as  we  ascended  the  Congo.  The  higher  up  the 
river  we  found  ourselves,  the  higher  the  dress  reached,  till  it 
has  now,  at  last,  culminated  in  absolute  nudity. 

The  cannibal  regions  also  commence  here.  The  natives 
offer  for  sale  necklaces,  and  other  ornaments,  made  from  the 
teeth,  dried  fingers,  &c.,  of  their  victims. 

All  along  the  river  we  have  been  meeting  idols  of  various 
shapes  and  sizes,  most  of  them,  however,  representing  human 
beings.  They  diminished  in  number,  however,  as  we  ascended 
the  river,  and  pretty  nearly  in  the  same  ratio  as  the  feminine 
apparel. 


62  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

June  8. — We  had  a  quiet  night  at  camp,  although  we  had 
felt  some  anticipation  of  trouble  with  the  natives. 

June  9. — There  was  an  unpleasant  catastrophe  to-day,  owing 
to  the  deck-houses  falling  over  to  one  side.  These  supported 
the  upper  deck,  which  was  crowded  with  the  men,  and  had 
not  been  constructed  of  sufficient  strength.  Wooden  supports 
were,  accordingly,  prepared  and  fixed  in  the  weakest  places. 

We  passed  a  large  village,  where  the  natives  showed  fight ; 
but,  as  we  had  a  supply  of  plantains,  manioc,  goat,  and 
.  chickens  on  board,  we  were  not  obliged  to  come  into  contact 
with  them.  We  passed  ten  war-canoes,  manned  by  fourteen 
men  each. 

After  landing,  I  sat  up  with  the  men,  who  were  cutting- 
wood  by  the  light  of  immense  fires,  until  1  a.m.  Tracks  of 
elephants  and  hippo  can  be  seen  in  all  directions  through 
the  bush.  Monkeys  are  also  very  numerous,  and  insects 
innumerable.  The  plumage  of  the  small  birds  and  the  colour 
of  the  butterflies  are  strikingly  gorgeous  and  brilliant. 

June  10. — We  left  sharp  at  5  a.m.  At  11  a.m.  w-e  found 
the  upper  deck  of  the  Stanley  coming  down  again,  owing  to 
the  weight  of  ninety  men,  with  their  kits  and  provisions,  who 
were  quartered  on  it.  So  we  were  obliged  to  get  all  the  men 
down,  and  place  some  new  supports  under  the  falling  structure. 

June  11. — The  grass  close  to  ^  our  camp  was  last  night 
accidentally  set  on  fire  by  some  of  our  men ;  and,  as  the  wind 
was  blowing  towards  us,  there  was  the  greatest  alarm  lest 
everything  should  be  burnt.  All  the  men  were  turned  out, 
and  the  fire  was,  with  considerable  difficulty,  thoroughly 
extinguished,  after  which  we  were  able  to  rest  in  comfort. 

At  9  a.m.  Ave  passed  a  large  village  which  had  been  burnt 
during  the  night.  We  thought  this  might  have  been  done  by 
Barttelot's;or_by  Tippu-Tib's  people,' as  they  are  but  one  day 
ahead  of  us.  It  is  also  possible  that  Tippu-Tib's  people  may 
have  come  here  from  Stanley  Falls  in  search  of  ivory,  and  Ave. 
were  led  to  suspect  tliat  this  Avas  Avhat  had  really  happened, 
on  seeing  a  canoe  simihir  to  those  used  at  the  Falls,  lying 
close  to  the  bank. 

We  ran  against  a  snag  this  afternoon,  but  it  did  no  per- 
manent damage.     We  passed  several  large  villages. 

Stairs  is  again  down  Avith  intermittent  fever. 

June  12. — Wc  passed  a  large  village  on  the  left  bank. 


1887.]  FROM  MSWATA    TO    YAMBUYA.  63 

We  ascertained  that  the  burnt  village  we  saw  yesterday  had 
received  its  destruction  at  the  hands  of  neighbouring  natives 
on  account  of  a  tribal  quarrel,  brought  on  by  a  difference  of 
opinion  as  to  right  of  possession  of  the  person  of  a  young  female. 

We  now  entered  the  Aruwimi,  which  is  much  broader  than  the 
Nile  at  Cairo.  We  stopped  for  the  night  on  an  island  oppo- 
site the  Basoko  village,  close  to  the  junction  of  the  Aruwimi 
with  the  Congo.  The  streams  here  unite  at  an  acute  angle. 
Mr.  Stanley  had  gone  on  in  front,  and  landed  his  black  boy 
Baruti  at  his  native  village  of  Basoko.  He  is  about  fifteen 
years  old,  and  had  been  given  by  Tippu-Tib  to  Sir  F.  De 
Winton,  after  which  he  was  transferred  to  Mr.  Stanley.  He 
has  lived  some  years  in  London,  and  speaks  English  well, 
but  is  an  atrocious  young  ruffian.  His  sisters  and  brothers 
recognised  him  after  some  time,  when  he  showed  them  a  scar 
on  his  back,  which  he  received  from  a  crocodile  when  a  boy. 
Mr.  Stanley  told  him  that  he  could  remain  with  his  family 
if  he  liked,  but  he  says  he  prefers  to  remain  with  his 
master.  His  brothers  and  sisters  wept  when  he  was  leaving 
them. 

Basoko  has  several  thousand  inhabitants.  They  are  very 
savage  indeed.  The  Peace,  with  Mr.  Stanley  on  board,  crossed 
the  channel  of  the  river  to  the  island  (about  1000  yards  in 
width),  and  asked  the  natives  (through  Baruti)  to  cross  to 
us  and  sell  us  provisions ;  but  they  were  too  timid  to  come. 

Baruti's  reason  for  not  staying  with  his  relatives  we  were 
strongly  disposed  to  attribute  to  a  suspicion  that  he  would  be 
cooked  and  eaten  by  them. 

We  have  been  greatly  impressed  by  the  canoes  used  by  the 
natives  here,  and  by  their  mode  of  managing  them.  They 
stand  up  while  paddling  their  canoes,  and  they  make  them 
appear  and  disappear  among  the  reeds  and  bush  near  the  bank 
in  a  perfectly  marvellous  way.  The  handle  of  the  paddle  is 
ornamentally  tipped  with  ivory.  They  carry  their  shields  in 
the  canoe,  and  when  fighting  they  hold  them  uj)  in  a  row  so 
as  to  form  a  good  protection  against  spears  and  arrows. 

June  13. — We  cut  wood,  and  remained  till  noon,  in  the  fond 
hope  of  being  able  to  purchase  some  provisions  from  the 
natives ;  but  not  one  of  them  would  come  near  us,  although 
Baruti  spoke  to  them  at  a  distance,  and  assured  them  again 
and  again  that  we  did  not  intend  to  fight,  or  make  ourselves 


64  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

disagreeable  in  any  way.     Jepbson's  donkey  died  last  night ; 
it  cannot  Le  replaced  in  these  parts. 

I  resected  the  elbow-joint  of  one  of  the  Zanzibaris,  who 
had  been  accidentally  wounded  by  a  hatchet. 

When  leaving  Basoko,  a  very  large  crowd  of  natives  suddenly 
appeared  on  the  banks ;  they  had  been  hidden  away  in  the 
bush  and  long  grass,  close  to  the  water's  edge,  and  would  not 
appear  till  we  had  moved  off.  Basoko  is  situated  in  longitude 
25°  14'  E ;  latitude  1°  15'  N. 

June  14.— Last  night  we  stopped  at  a  small  village,  and 
our  men  went  on  shore,  but  could  find  no  provisions  except 
plantains.  AVe  stayed  there  for  the  night ;  the  natives  fled 
precipitately  into  the  bush,  but  we  heard  tom-toms  and  horns 
sounding  high  in  the  surrounding  villages  so  as  to  warn  the 
inhabitants  against  us.  Two  minutes  after  pushing  off  from 
the  bank  in  the  morning  the  natives  swarmed  to  the  river's 
brink  in  enormous  numbers,  fully  equipped  with  spears  and 
shields.  They  had  been  quietly  collecting  in  ambush  (in  the 
long  grass)  all  night;  and,  had  we  remained  much  longer, 
they  would  have  surrounded  us  in  so  great  a  number  that  they 
must  easily  have  overpowered  us. 

The  atmosphere  was  very  foggy  in  the  early  part  of  the 
day.     It  cleared  about  noon. 

Last  night,  I  had  an  attack  of  intermittent  fever.  I  was, 
however,  quite  well  at  3 .  30  p.m.  to-day  The  fever  then  came 
on  again  ;  my  temperature  at  4.30  p.m.  was  102"^  4'  F.  Jephson 
also  was  feverish. 

June  15. — AVhen  we  started  in  the  morning  I  felt  quite 
^'fit."  Jephson  was  still  feverish.  We  stopped  at  11  a.m.  to 
cut  wood.  There  are  not  many  villages  on  this  part  of  the 
river.  The  north  bank  here  rises  to  a  height  of  thirty  feet;  it 
is  the  first  time  we  have  met  a  high  bank  since  we  left  Leopold- 
ville.  We  reached  the  first  cataract  on  the  Aruwimi  at 
ij  P.M.  Here  is  situated  the  village  of  Yambuya.  where  the 
entrenched  camp  is  now  to  be  constructed.  Accordingly, 
we  all  had  to  pack  up  our  belongings,  as  we  must  leave  the 
steamers — the  river  not  being  navigable  further,  on  account  of 
tlio  cataract.  When  we  neared  the  place,  ]\[r.  Stanley  steamed 
over  to  the  left  bank,  where  he  palavered  with  the  natives ; 
and  afterwards  returned  to  tlie  right  bank,  where  we  all  stopped 
lor  the  ni^ht. 


1887.]  FROM   MSWATA    TO    YAMBUYA.  G5 

June  16. — Orders  were  given  last  night  for  the  Feace  to 
leave  at  6  a.m.  with  Mr.  Stanley,  and  cross  to  the  village  of 
Yambuya  on  the  op230site  side.  He  was  to  try  to  make  peace- 
ful terms  with  the  natives,  and  we  were  to  have  steam  up  and 
keep  the  Stanley  just  on  the  move  in  mid-stream,  so  as  to  be 
ready  to  give  assistance  if  necessary.  Mr.  Stanley  was  to  blow 
the  whistle  of  the  Peace  in  case  that  satisfactory  terms  could 
not  be  made  with  the  natives.  They  did,  indeed,  when  he 
came  to  close  quarters  with  them,  agree  to  give  us  provisions, 
&c. ;  but  refused  the  thing  we  specially  wanted — to  allow  us 
to  land,  and  make  ourselves  a  fixed  position  there.  This  was 
annoying,  as  there  is  no  other  place  that  can  be  selected  with 
a  suitable  sanitary  and  strategical  position  but  this,  as  the 
village  occupies  a  very  favourable  site  on  high  ground,  and  i& 
in  every  way  specially  adapted  for  our  purposes.  After  a  long 
conference  with  the  natives,  the  whistle  of  the  Peace  announced 
that  we  were  to  land  and  take  up  the  position.  Jephson's 
company  came  first;  they  were  arranged  in  line  along  the 
shore,  and  instructed  to  march  in  the  same  order — through  the 
village,  and  as  far  as  the  bush  at  the  back.  Nelson's  company, 
with  mine,  were  to  hold  the  village  above  ;  and  Stairs'  company 
was  to  search  the  place.  As  the  villagers  had,  however,  all 
skedaddled  on  the  approach  of  our  steamers,  we  had  no 
difficulty  in  taking  possession  of  the  place ;  but  we  were 
obliged  to  take  great  precaution  in  the  posting  of  our  sentries, 
as  the  natives  were  lurking  in  the  bush  close  by. 

We  found  the  huts  small  in  size,  and  conical  in  shape  ;  they 
were  constructed  by  sticking  poles  in  the  ground  so  as  to 
enclose  a  circle  of  the  requisite  diameter,  about  the  size  of  a 
regulation  bell  tent,  and  then  tying  them  together  at  the  top, 
thatching  with  leaves  and  grass — and  making  an  earthen  floor 
raised  two  feet  above  the  ground.  They  were  told  off  to  our 
men — one  hut  to  six  men.  Our  tents  were  pitched,  and  a 
circumferential  space  of  fifty  yards  in  width  was  cleared  all 
around  the  camp.  The  latter  was  a  very  necessary  ]n'e- 
caution ;  as  the  bush  was  very  dense  around  us,  and  easily 
concealed  the  treacherous  natives,  whom  we  knew  to  be 
crouching  in  it  in  all  directions,  waiting  for  an  opportunity 
of  attacking  us. 

June  17. — All  ammunition,  baggage,  and  stores,  were  re- 
moved from  the  steamers  to  our  camp.     Baruti,   the  black 

F 


66  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

Basoko  boy,  wlio  liad  been  well  treated  by  Mr.  Stanley, 
deserted — running  away  witli  three  other  boys.  They  took  a 
canoe  and  returned  to  Basoko,  although  Baruti  had  declined 
the  offer  of  staying  when  he  was  there.  So  his  movement  has 
not  corroborated  our  former  suspicion  of  his  fearing  that  his 
friends  and  relations  would  celebrate  his  return  by  feasting  on 
him.  They  carried  off  with  them  Mr.  Stanley's  revolver, 
without  ammunition;  and  a  AVinchester  rifle  —  with  100 
rounds. 

A  trench — of  three  feet  deep — to  surround  the  camp  was 
commenced  ;  the  boma  (stockade)  will  be  about  200  feet  across. 
Poles  of  nine  feet  in  length  have  to  be  provided  and  placed  in 
the  trench  (side  by  side),  so  as  to  have  six  feet  projecting ;  they 
will  form  a  strong  wall  of  defence.  There  is,  however,  a  hill 
250  yards  off;  from  which  an  enemy,  if  provided  with  rifles, 
could  conveniently  fire  into  us. 

In  the  evening,  Mr.  Stanley  called  his  officers  into  his  tent 
and  informed  us  that  he  intended  marching  to  the  Albert 
Nyanza,  relieving  Emin  Pasha  by  handing  him  over  the 
ammunition,  and  returning  to  Yambuya  about  October  or 
November.  He  would  leave  the  entrenched  camp  here  in 
■charge  of  Barttelot  and  Jameson.  He  went  on  to  say  that 
Barttelot  was  not  sufficiently  forbearing,  but  that  Jameson's 
experience  of  Africa  would,  he  thought,  correct  his  impetuosity. 
Also,  that  Tippu-Tib  with  600  men  were  coming  here,  to  assist 
in  carrying  the  ammunition  to  Emin  Pasha. 

June  18. — All  the  men  were  hard  at  work  to-day  cutting 
wood  for  the  Stanley,  which  is  to  leave  to-morrow,  to  return 
to  Leopoldville.  I  was  sent,  with  a  reconnoitring  party,  to 
ascertain  the  extent  of  the  manioc  fields.  I  found  that 
they  occupy  an  immense  area,  and  are  capable  of  sustain- 
ing the  garrison  of  Yambuya  for  years,  if  necessary  ;  as  it  has 
fed  the  villagers,  who  are,  at  least,  ten  times  the  number 
of  our  garrison.  There  is,  however,  little  or  no  prospect  of 
obtaining  any  other  provisions,  as  game  is  scarce — on  account 
of  the  fact  that  the  river  bank  is  very  high  in  this  neighbour- 
liood,  which  does  not  afford  animals  the  convenience  of  coming 
down  to  drink  ;  so  that  they  are  obliged  to  occupy  more  acces- 
sible parts.  The  hippo  also  seems  scarce.  The  natives  refused 
to  sell  any  food,  but  we  hope  that  they  ^^'ill  change  their  minds 
after  a  time,  when  they  have  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 


1887.]  FROM  M SWAT  A    TO    YAM  BUY  A.  67 

that  they  will  be  honestly  paid  for  their  goods,  and  not  plun- 
dered— as  they  have  nsiially  been  accustomed  to. 

I  have  given  up  the  F  Co.  now,  and  have  but  the  G  Co.  to 
look  after.  I  am  very  glad  that  Mr.  Stanley  has  given  me  a 
company  like  the  other  officers,  as  I  shall  have  my  own  men  to 
look  after  me,  and  it  is  a  real  relaxation  and  pleasure  to  have 
other  work,  to  alternate  with  the  constant  anxiety  and  troubles 
of  attendance  on  the  sick  only. 

June  19. — We  cut  wood  for  the  Stanley,  and  expect  that 
she  will  be  ready  to  start  down  river  to-morrow  at  noon,  with 
the  Florida  alongside. 

June  20. — Heavy  rain  fell  last  night.  The  Stanley  left  at 
noon,  with  an  enormous  quantity  of  wood  on  board.  The 
captain  and  engineer  said  that  it  was  quite  sufficient  for  nine 
days.  This  large  provision  of  fuel  is  very  necessary  as  there 
are  but  a  few  Snider  rifles  on  board,  so  that  they  could  not 
resist  much  fighting,  if  they  had  to  deal  with  hostile  natives. 
Accordingly,  she  can  go  straight  on  to  Bolobo. 

Jameson  is  not  at  all  well.  Our  donkeys  are  picking  up 
after  their  long  journey  in  the  steamers.  Barttelot  is  ex- 
pected ;  but  there  is  no  sign  of  him  as  yet. 

We  went  on  cutting  wood  to-day,  to  provide  for  the  other 
steamers  in  going  down  river.  Our  camp  is  1,400  feet  above 
sea-level.  About  two  miles  up  river  there  is  a  bend  in  its 
course,  and,  in  this  situation,  a  succession  of  rapids  and  small 
cascades,  which  effectually  prevent  any  attempt  at  navigation. 

June  21. — No  natives  have  as  yet  come  in  to  us.  They, 
however,  paddle  their  canoes  close  to  the  bank,  and  sell  fish  to 
our  men.  Nearly  all  the  natives  who  deserted  the  village 
have  gone  and  settled  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  close 
to  the  water. 

My  boy  managed  to  break  one  of  my  water-bottles  to-day, 
which  is  rather  annoying,  as  there  may  be  scarcity  of  water 
on  the  march  to  the  Albert  Nyanza. 

June  22.^ — Barttelot  arrived  in  the  Benry  Reed,  at  4  p.m.  ; 
he  had  left  Tippu-Tib  at  the  Falls.  Tippu-Tib's  men,  he  told 
us,  had  had  a  big  fight  with  the  natives,  and  had  got  them- 
selves cut  and  slashed  in  a  fearful  manner,  with  knives  and 
spears — the  latter  mostly  barbed. 

Tippu-Tib's  station  at  the  Stanley  Falls  was  taken  by  him 
in  September,  1886,  from  the  Congo  Free  State ;  Mr.  Deane 

F  2 


68  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

was  then  commanding.  The  attack  on  the  station  was  all  on 
account  oi"  a  black  slave  who  had  been  beaten  by  her  master ; 
and,  in  consequence,  ran  away  and  took  refuge  in  the  fort. 
Deane  would  not  give  her  up,  and  the  result  was  an  attack 
on  the  fort  by  Tippu-Tib's  Manyuema,  which  ended,  after 
three  or  four  days'  fighting,  in  the  rout  of  the  Congo  Free 
State  garrison.  Tippu-Tib  stated  that  he  did  not  order  the 
light,  and  did  not  even  know  of  it  till  afterwards.  The 
refugee  slave — the  casus  belli  in  the  above  case — is  now 
married  to  a  Houssa  at  Bangala,  and  she  was  unwisely  shown 
to  Tippu-Tib  on  our  way  up  river.  And  Tippu-Tib  is  now 
himself  appointed  chief  of  the  station  which  his  people 
formerly  wrenched  in  this  way  from  the  Congo  Free  State  I 
This  diplomatic  move  was  made  by  the  King  of  the  Belgians 
on  JMr.  Stanley's  suggestion. 

The  station  itself  is  situated  on  an  island  opposite  tke 
Falls,  and  surrounded  by  a  strong  stockade ;  there  are  three 
Krupp  guns,  with  breech  blocks  and  other  appurtenances 
thereof,  all  complete.  It  was  stated  that  the  breech  blocks 
had  been  removed  by  Deane  before  he  retired,  but  Barttelot 
told  me  there  is  no  doubt  of  their  presence  in  the  fort  now. 
Our  entire  force  now  collected  here  numbers  512. 
June  23. — Alexander,  our  second  interpreter  (with  the 
Nubians),  died  of  acute  dysentery — occurring,  as  it  did,  in  a 
very  weak  and  debilitated  constitution. 

The  men  cut  wood  for  fuel,  to  take  the  Peace  and  Henry 
Reed  down  river.  Some  of  the  Nubians  went  out  foraging 
on  their  own  account,  and  one  got  severely  wounded  by  the 
spear  of  a  native,  which  penetrated  the  aljdominal  wall  and 
glanced  along  the  ilium,  exposing  the  intestines.  I  brought 
the  parts  together,  after  cleansing  the  wound,  and  fixed  the 
edges  with  hare-lip  pins  and  twisted  suture.  His  condition 
is  now,  of  course,  a  very  precarious  one. 

June  2-1. — Barttelot  received  his  orders  from  Mr.  Stanley. 
He  is  to  march,  when  his  men  are  collected,  so  as  to  meet 
us  on  our  return  journey,  although  he  is  allowed  the  option 
of  remaining — if  he  does  not  consider  himself  competent  to 
move,  after  he  has  discarded  a  quantity  of  his  impedi- 
menta. 

The  Peace  and  Ilenry  Reed  left  at  daybreak,  on  their  return 
voyage  down  river.     I  sent  my  letters  and  a  few  other  things 


1887.]  FEOM  MS  WAT  A    TO    YAM  BUY  A.  69 

home,  viz.,  some  curios,  one  tusk  of  ivory,  two  shields,  two 
spears,  one  paddle,  and  the  fringe  of  a  native  female. 

All  available  men  were  set  to  work  cutting  poles  for  the 
palisade  to  surround  our  camp,  which  will  be  about  200  yards 
around.  The  trench  itself  is  to  be  six  feet  wide,  and  three 
deep. 

June  25. — Men  very  busy  in  cutting  and  carrying  poles  to 
camp.  They  were  placed  side  by  side  in  the  trench  ;  and  then 
fixed  in  this  position  by  having  earth  thrown  in,  and  pressed 
■down.  The  plan  includes  three  gates,  one  on  the  east  side, 
one  on  the  south — this  latter  is  close  to  a  good  spring — and 
one  on  the  north,  leading  towards  the  river.  Stairs  commenced 
the  construction  of  the  eastern  gate,  but  soon  had  to  give  it 
up,  as  he  began  to  feel  very  ill.  The  fever  Avas  on  him,  and 
when  I  saw  him  a  short  time  after,  his  temperature  was  103°  F. 
Still  he  actually  felt  chilhj  then,  and  thought  it  unnecessary 
that  I  should  take  his  temperature.  I  gave  him  a  large  dose 
of  quinine. 

Jameson  had  eight  or  nine  canoes  hauled  up  to  the  camp, 
and  a  large  number  of  paddles  stored  away ;  lest  they  should 
be  wanted  for  emergency  occasions,  as  steamers  wdll  not,  of 
-course,  be  available. 

Our  encampment  is  somewhat  triangular  in  outline,  with 
the  aifgles  rounded  off.  The  river  forms  the  base  ;  and,  in  this 
j)osition,  the  bank  is  very  precipitous.  Half  of  one  of  the 
other  sides  of  the  triangle  is  protected  by  a  natural  ditch. 

June  26. — Barttelot  and  Jameson  will  be  alone  until  the 
arrival  of  Bonny,  Ward  and  Troiip,  and  will  fortify  the  place 
still  further  when  we  are  gone.  They  will  have  to  make  a  ditch 
along  the  less  protected  part  of  the  camp,  including  one  half 
of  the  southern  aspect — outside  the  palisade.  Jephson,  who 
has  charge  of  our  steel  boat,  got  her  up,  and  had  the  sections 
separated  and  tied  on  poles,  ready  to  be  carried  with  us 
on  the  march.  Stairs  still  very  poorly ;  temperature  102'^  F. 
in  the  morning,  and  103°  in  the  evening ;  his  skin  remains 
very  dry,  and  tongue  foul.  I  gave  him  a  large  dose  of 
-quinine.  I  finished  the  eastern  gate  (the  main  one)  which 
Stairs  had  commenced.  I  pegged  the  boards  on  with  wooden 
pegs,  and  swung  it  from  the  top  cross-bar ;  so  that  it  is  only 
necessary  to  push  it  up,  and  support  it  on  a  rest,  to  leave  it 
open.     Not  being  a  Eoyal  Engineer  like  Stairs,  I  forgot  to 


70  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFEIOA.  [1887. 

wedge  the  wooden  jJegs — wliioh  imperfection  caught  the  eye 
of  our  observant  leader ;  and,  accordingly,  I  expect  that  when 
the  wood  dries  and  shrinks  the  whole  structure  will  come  to 
pieces. 

June  27. — This  morning  Stairs'  temperature  was  102°  F. ;  it 
rose  to  103°  at  8  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  medicine  has 
acted,  and  sweating  is  now  established.  I  proposed  to  Mr.  Stanley 
that  he  should  be  left  behind,  as  I  was  greatly  afraid  of  the 
consequences  of  his  starting  with  the  advance  column,  which 
has  already  received  orders  to  march  to-morrow,  for  he  has 
undoubted  typhoid  symptoms,  modified  by  malaria.  Accord- 
ingly, Mr.  Stanley  ordered  Jameson  to  hold  himself  in  readiness, 
and  said  that,  as  it  was  my  ojiinion  that  Stairs  had  "  typhoid  " 
syinptoms,  I  should  remain  behind  to  treat  him  for  this  very 
serious  condition.  However,  Stairs  was  full  of  hope  of  a 
speedy  recovery,  and  retained  his  buoyancy  wonderfully; 
expressing  the  strongest  desire  to  accompany  the  advance 
column.  Encouraged  by  this  hopefulness,  and  feeling  sure 
that  a  change  would  be  desirable  for  the  malarial  poisoning- 
from  which  he  was  evidently  suffering,  I  recommended  that  he 
should  come  with  us  ;  and  it  was  accordingly  arranged  that  he 
will  be  carried  by  ten  men  specially  told  off  (daily)  for  this 
duty.     I  must  confess  I  was  very  anxious  to  go  myself  also. 

I  tried  some  of  Warburg's  tincture  with  him,  without  any 
marked  effect. 

All  the  men  procured  four  days'  rations,  as  we  are  to  make 
our  first  march  to-morrow.  We  packed  up  our  kits  into  two 
loads  of  60  lbs.  each ;  a  third  load  we  left  in  the  fort.  The 
palisade  is  now  completely  finished.  Mr.  Stanley  decided 
to  bring  Nelson,  Stairs,  Jephson,  and  myself,  as  the  advance 
party  to  the  Albert  Nyanza,  find  Emin  Pasha,  and  then  return 
for  the  rear  column,  which  will  slowly  follow  us  with  the 
reserve  stores. 


(  '1  ) 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FKOM   YAMBUYA   TO   AVISIBBA. 

The  Advcance  Colurriu — Order  of  marcliing  tliroiigli  the  forest —Good-bye  to 
Barttelot  and  Jameson — Brush  with  hostile  natives — We  cut  our  way- 
through  the  bush — The  forest  a  conservatory  ofmalaria — IMajor  Barttelot's 
force  at  Yambuya  camp — Wounds  caused  by  poisoned  spikes  stuck  in 
the  ground — Tedious  progress  through  the  forest — Zareeba  enclosures 
for  defence  of  our  camps — Game  pits  and  elephant  tracks  in  the  forest — 
The  trees  and  their  foliage — Annoying  obstacles  on  the  march — Capture 
of  a  goat — We  launch  the  Advance  and  follow  the  course  of  the  river — 
The  natives  and  sanitation — Deserted  villages — Ethnological  curiosities 
of  the  district — Aruwimi  Falls — An  army  of  ants — My  personal  baggage 
— Different  forms  of  native  hut  construction — A  forsaken  baby — Forest 
tornado — Nelson  and  Jephson  down  with  fever — Further  casualties 
through  poisoned  wooden  spikes — Mr.  Stanley  takes  observations — A 
man  shot  througli  the  femoral  artery — Fording  swollen  rivers — Hornets' 
nests  suspended  from  the  branches  of  trees — Scarcity  of  food — We  meet 
some  friendly  natives — Continuous  rows  with  our  cooks — A  hard  day's 
work  with  the  advance  guard — Abundance  of  game  in  the  forest — Strange 
finds  in  the  villages — Zanzibar!  method  of  cookiog  fowls — Ticks  and 
"jiggers"' — Fine  features  of  the  natives — Accident  to  our  biscuits — 
Heavy  rains — We  buy  food  from  the  iuhabitants  of  Mugwye's  village — 
Elephants'  tusks  used  for  native  seats — Fii-st  quadruped  meat  for  a 
a  month — Canoe  accidents  in  the  Aruwimi — Welcome  capture  of  goats 
by  Mr.  Stanley— Panga  Falls — Weak  state  of  our  men  from  ulcers — AVe 
forage  for  food — A  dead  man  prepared  for  burial — African  chickens — A 
Zanzibar!  shot  near  our  camp — Sharp  engagement  Avith  the  natives  at 
Avisibba — Lieutenant  Stairs  wounded  by  a  poisoned  arrow — My  treat- 
ment of  the  wound. 

June  28. — Reveille  sounded  at  5  a.m.  ;  and,  one  hour  after, 
Mr.  Stanley  marched  out  of  the  stockade  with  the  advance 
guard — at  the  head  of  the  colurun,  which  numbered  389 
officers  and  men. 

The  Zanzibaris  are  now  divided  into  four  companies : — 

Eifles.  Men. 

Xo.  1.  (which  was  Stanley's  own)  commanded)   g_  ^06 

by  Parke         .  .  .  .  .  ( 

„    2.  Commanded  by  Stairs  ....     85  88 

„    3.  „  Ndson  ...     85  88 

„    4.  „  Jephson        ...     85  88 

The  Soudanese  and  Somalis  are  attached  to  No.  1  Company, 


72  EXPEniENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

and  carry  no  loads.  Forty  of  the  best  men  of  No.  1  Company 
were  armed  with  Winchester  repeaters  (fifteen-shooters)  and 
bill-hooks;  and  went  ahead  of  the  column — as  pioneers— 
to  clear  the  road.  They  were  selected  as  sharp-shooters,  but 
their  principal  Avork  must  really  be  to  cut  down  saplings, 
branches,  vines,  &c.,  &c.,  and  make  a  road  through  the 
woods  for  tlie  caravan  to  follow  in  single  file ;  also  to  blaze 
the  trees,  so  that  the  line  of  route  will  be  self-evident,  both 
for  our  men  and  for  the  rear- column  when  it  comes  to  follow. 
Each  man  has  a  bandoleer  or  pouch  to  carry  ammunition,  and 
each  company  has  to  carry  a  certain  number  of  axes,  hoes, 
shovels,  bill-hooks,  and  eight  rounds  of  ammunition,  as  well  as 
his  load,  rifle  and  kit — about  80  lbs.  weight  in  all.  In  addition 
to  twelve  supernumerary  Zanzibaris  who  did  not  carry  rifles,  the 
rear-guard  consisted  of  thirty  men  without  loads,  formed  by 
ten  selected  from  each  of  Companies  2,  3,  and  4 ;  but,  as  Stairs 
has  to  be  carried,  the  ten  men  from  his  company  must  be 
utilised  in  conveying  him  in  a  hammock  until  he  is  strong 
enough  to  walk,  and  the  remaining  twenty  will  act  as  rear-guard. 
On  leaving  Yambuya  we  marched  in  the  following  order : — 

I\rr.  Stanley — with  advance  guard. 

Parke — in  front  of  the  main  column,  consisting  of  Nos.  2, 
.3,  and  4  Companies,  carrying  loads. 

Je23bson — in  rear  of  main  column. 

Nelson — on  rear-guard. 

We  intend  maintaining  this  order  of  march  throughout,  if 
possible  ;  every  day  keeping  a  roster  of  duty,  whereby  each  of 
lis  four  will  take  our  turn  of  command  in  succession,  at  front 
or  rear  of  column.  It  is  evident  that  some  considerable  time 
must  elapse  before  Stairs  can  be  strong  enough  to  take  his 
turn  of  the  work ;  although  a  certain  degree  of  improvement 
was  manifest  on  this  day's  march.-  Each  of  us  has  got  his 
donkey  with  liim. 

We  bade  good-bye  to  Barttelot  and  Jameson,  both  of  whom 
were  very  gloomy  at  the  idea  of  being  left  behind.  Barttelot's 
last  words  to  me  were,  that  he  would  not  remain  a  day  after 
the  rest  of  tlic  loads  and  men  came  up  from  Bolobo.  When 
we  marched  away  the  place  looked  quite  deserted,  but  the 
garrison  is  well  protected  by  the  stockade.  We  kept  to  the 
river  as  wo  went  on ;  and  are  to  proceed  directly  east,  to  the 
southern  extremity  of  the  Albert  Nyanza. 


1387.]  FROM   YAMBUYA    TO   AVI  SIB  B  A.  73 

After  a  few  hours'  march,  some  of  the  hostile  natives  fired 
upon  us  with  their  poisoned  arrows,  and  two  of  our  Zanzibaris 
were  wounded.  Our  march  led  through  the  forest  in  a  thick 
undergrowth  of  bush,  through  which  we  were  obliged  to  cut 
our  way.  A  small  track  did  exist,  but  so  narrow  and  entangled, 
that  it  required  broadening  for  the  passage  of  the  bearers  of 
the  sections  of  the  boat.  The  archway  of  branches  above  had 
also  to  be  cleared  away,  in  order  to  allow  the  men  to  walk 
upright  as  they  marched  on — carrying  their  loads  on  their 
heads,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  Zanzibaris.  (Natives 
in  the  forest  carry  their  loads  on  their  backs  and  shoulders, 
so  that  they  can  travel  under  the  archways  of  entangling 
creepers  which  cover  the  path.) 

The  forest  certainly  appears  to  be  a  conservatory  of  malaria, 
as  the  ground  is  thickly  covered  with  the  spongy  debris  of 
decomposing  vegetable  matter.  It  is  also  very  moist,  as  the  sun 
cannot  penetrate  through  the  thick  foliage  so  as  to  j)i'omote 
evaporation  ;  thus  it  fumes  and  steams  around,  and  causes  one  to 
perspire  and  swelter  very  much  like  the  atmosphere  of  a  hot- 
house, or  a  Turkish  bath.  Bad  as  the  atmosphere  was.  Stairs 
continued  to  improve  on  the  march,  but  my  own  temperature 
ran  up  to  106^  F.,  and  I  felt  above  boiling  point.  I  injected 
a  dose  of  pilocarpin  hypodermically,  which  in  a  few  minutes 
drenched  me  in  perspiration,  after  which  I  felt  considerably 
relieved. 

We  finished  a  march  of  fourteen  miles  from  the  entrenched 
camp.  As  we  proceeded  we  diverged  from  the  river,  which  does 
not  run  quite  in  our  direction,  but  strikes  deep  into  the  forest. 

June  29. — Barttelot's  force — in  camp — consists  of: — 

Zanzibaris        ........  78 

Nubians.          ........  44 

Somalis  .........  5 

Officers 2 

129 

This  number  is  made  up  of  the  weaklings  of  the  Expedition 
(a  large  proportion  of  whom  are,  however,  able  to  carry  loads) 
with  a  few  of  the  stronger  men  to  look  after  them ;  and  they 
possess  eighty  rifles.  They  are  to  be  increased  in  August  by 
the  Bolobo  detachment,  viz.,  Troup,  Ward,  and  Bonny,  with 
131  Zanzibaris.     This  would  make  a  total  of  263. 


74  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

June  30. — We  started  at  daybreak.  The  advance  column 
liad  some  shootinj^,  during  which  a  native  was  wounded.  We 
passed  some  viUage  which  had  been  pillaged  by  a  slave-  or 
ivory-hunting  party.  We  supposed  the  aggressors  to  be  Tippu- 
Tib's  people,  as  we  found  their  marks  upon  the  trees,  and  the 
road  which  they  had  cut  for  themselves  through  the  forest. 

Some  of  our  men  were  badly  wounded  in  the  feet  to-day  by 
treading  on  sharp-pointed  pieces  of  wood  or  spikes,  which  had 
been  stuck  in  the  pathway  leading  to  the  zareeba  or  boma 
(which  surrounds  each  native  village),  so  as  to  obstruct  the 
advance.  Tliese  spikes  are  sometimes  smeared  over  Avith 
poison,  and  are  ingeniously  made  of  brittle  wood,  with  a 
circular  or  spiral  groove  near  the  point ;  leaving  a  projecting 
shoulder,  so  that  it  breaks  off  when  it  penetrates  the  flesh,  and 
almost  invariably  leaves  the  point  within.  They  are  generally 
placed  in  the  ground  near  a  village,  and  in  a  slightly  slanting- 
position,  with  the  point  towards  you  as  you  approach. 

We  sj)ent  the  night  in  a  small  village  which  we  barricaded, 
and  posted  a  number  of  sentries  (twenty  to  forty),  who  are 
always  on  the  alert.  The  natives  came  howling  around  our 
camp  at  night,  but  did  not  attack  us.  We  had  marched  about 
four  miles  ;  the  progress  through  the  forest  being,  necessarily, 
very  tedious.  Every  evening  when  we  halt,  our  first  duty  is 
to  get  the  men  to  cut  bushes — those  with  thorns  if  procurable 
— and  make  a  zareeba  of  considerable  size  and  strength,  so  as 
to  protect  the  caravan  from  night  surprises — of  either  wild 
men  or  wild  beasts.  We  then  pitch  our  tents,  pile  the  loads, 
and  the  men  make  their  huts — all  inside  the  enclosure. 

July  1. — We  marched  through  bush  and  swamp,  and  passed 
several  villages  until  we  reached  a  full-grown  forest  at  2  p.m. 
We  continued  our  march  through  it,  for  another  hour.  There 
Avas  a  hungry  uncertainty  as  to  the  number  of  days  we  may 
have  to  spend  in  this  foodless  forest,  so  Mr.  Stanley  sent  half 
the  men  back,  with  orders  to  provide  a  supply  of  manioc.  We 
zarcebed  at  3  p.m.,  having  done  six  miles  in  the  day's  march. 
W'c  have  now  passed  eastward  twenty-four  geographical  miles 
from  the  entrenched  camp  ;  but  have,  of  course,  marched  over 
a  much  greater  distance,  as  we  followed  winding  paths.  How 
I  wish  that  we  could  get  into  open  country  again,  as  tlio 
smell— from  decomposing  water  in  stagnant  pools,  and  rotting 
vegetable  matter — is  most  abominable. 


1887.]  FEOM   YAMBUYA    TO   AVISIBBA.  75 

Stairs  is  now  improving  ;  Jephson  is  taking  bis  turn,  being 
down  with  fever  to-day. 

July  2. — The  remaining  half  of  the  force  returned  for  manioc, 
according  to  the  order  issued  by  Mr.  Stanley  yesterday.  We 
have  now  been  pure  vegetarians  for  four  days,  as  we  have  no  meat. 
Our  food  is  rice-biscuit,  manioc,  tea  and  coffee.  The  manioc 
we  roast  in  the  fire,  and  then  eat  like  a  potato ;  for  we  have  not 
time  for  more  elaborate  cooking,  in  the  way  of  soaking  and 
preparing  chikwanga  (bread),  as  the  natives  do  on  the  Congo. 

The  forest  is  dotted  all  over,  apparently,  with  game-pits — 
somewhat  like  newly -made  European  graves — for  catching 
wild  animals.  A  reconnoitring  party  was  sent  off,  and  re- 
turned with  two  women  and  some  children ;  but  very  little 
useful  information  could  be  got  from  them,  as  none  of  us  could 
speak  their  language.  At  4  p.m.,  when  our  foraging  party  had 
returned,  we  started,  and  marched  along  elephant-paths  for 
four  miles ;  we  had,  however,  to  cut  away  saplings  and  creepers 
every  yard  of  the  way,  and  blaze  the  larger  trees  as  they 
crossed  our  path. 

At  the  end  of  four  miles  we  halted,  and  made  a  zareeba. 

July  3. — We  marched  from  daybreak  until  dark — 7.20  p.m. 
— so  as  to  get  out  of  the  forest.  The  inducement  to  proceed 
was  pretty  strong,  as  we  had  nothing  to  eat.  On  this  day's 
march  I  was  in  rear  of  the  column,  and  my  chief  delay  was  in 
getting  on  the  sections  of  the  boat,  which  could  be  squeezed 
along  the  path  only  with  great  difficulty,  as  they  caught  in 
the  creepers,  &c.  The  forest  here  was  a  regular  meshwork 
of  elephant-tracks  ;  and,  when  they  happened  to  lie  in  our 
direction,  we  utilised  them  as  our  own.  We  are  now  marching 
in  a  northerly  direction,  as  we  want  to  strike  the  river  again  ; 
so  as  to  utilise  our  boat  and  look  for  food,  the  natives  being- 
more  likely  to  be  found  settling  on  its  banks  than  in  the 
dark  interior  of  the  forest.  We  had  some  rain  on  this  day's 
march;  also  we  passed  some  heavy  swamps,  so  that  we  are 
well  soaked. 

Mr.  Stanley  believes  that,  as  we  march  eastward,  we  must 
find  villages  ;  and,  consequently,  be  able  to  obtain  food. 

July  4. — I  slept  in  wet  clothes  during  the  night ;  it  is  im- 
possible to  dry  anything  in  the  forest,  as  the  sun  cannot 
penetrate  through  the  thick  foliage.  The  trees  are  very  largo 
circumferentially,  and   maintain   nearly  the   same   thickness 


76  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1887. 

throiTgliout  their  whole  length  till  they  approach  the  top; 
when  they  give  off  divergent  branches,  so  as  to  form  a  sort  of 
umbrella-like  shade.     The  usual  height  is  from  100  to  200  feet. 

It  is  very  difficult  to  get  the  donkeys  through  the  swamps, 
as  they  sink  up  to  their  necks  in  crossing.  Clouds  of  malarious 
vapour  always  hang  about  the  swamps,  so  that  one  or  two  of  us 
white  men  are  down  every  day  with  fever.  Transport  for  the 
sick  is  very  difficult.  Kiding  is  impossible,  on  account  of  the 
crossing  of  creepers  from  tree  to  tree,  branches  of  young 
.trees,  &c.,  impeding  every  step.  The  transit  of  rivers  is  also 
a  most  annoying  obstacle.  The  unfortunate  sick  man  has  to 
be  carried  in  a  hammock,  swung  on  a  pole,  and  supported  on  the 
shoulders  of  two  carriers.  In  the  forest,  this  vehicle  gets  caught 
and  torn,  every  few  yards  of  its  progress  ;  and,  in  crossing  deep 
streams,  the  invalid  gets  dipped,  if  not  quite  submerged,  from 
time  to  time,  by  the  slipping  (on  a  stone,  &c.)  or  sinking  (into 
a  hole)  of  one  or  other  of  his  carriers. 

We  marched  for  two  miles  northward  in  this  way  ;  we  then 
struck  the  river,  and  had  some  further  variety  in  the  shape  of 
a  skirmish  with  the  natives,  a  few  of  whom  raised  a  temporary 
objection  to  our  presence.  They  deserted  a  canoe  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river,  which  we  at  once  appropriated.  It 
had  a  goat  tied  down  in  it,  the  acquisition  of  which  was 
regarded  as  a  great  godsend.  Our  own  boat  was  immediately 
launched,  and  secured  the  prize. 

Mr.  Stanley  reconnoitred  in  the  boat — up  and  down  the 
river — for  some  time.  We  marched  along  the  bank  for  a  few 
furlongs,  and  then  halted  for  the  night. 

July  5. — The  Advance  was  sent  back  for  some  large  canoes 
which  were  on  an  island  near  our  camp.  We  continued  our 
march  along  the  river,  as  it  lay  pretty  much  in  our  direction, 
i.e.,  eastward.  The  boat  was  rowed' along,  and  this  operation 
was  in  itself  a  means  of  saving  much  trouble  and  delay,  as  it 
always  takes  forty  men  to  carry  it  in  sections,  with  its  oars, 
fittings,  &c. 

'J'he  natives,  even  here,  have  very  pronounced  ideas  on  the 
subjfct  of  sanitation.  They  always  make  their  beds  at  some 
height  from  the  ground,  and  have  special  pits  for  collection  of 
ash  and  refuse ;  some  of  them,  however,  situated  undesirably 
close  to  the  huts.  In  some  villages,  indeed,  they  have  rather 
well-made  latrines— even  closets — to  sit  on ;    and   upon  the 


1887.]  FBOM   YAMBUYA    TO   AVISIBBA.  77 

whole  they  are  much  cleaner  and  tidier  than  the  inhabitants 
of  our  remote  villages  at  home. 

There  were  great  complaints,  as  my  donkey  had  eaten  up 
my  boy's  rations;  he  was  very  hungry,  poor  animal,  and 
there  is  no  grass  to  be  found,  except  a  little  here  and  there 
close  to  the  river's  bank. 

Stairs  has  nearly  recovered ;  he  has  been  improving  rapidly 
during  the  past  few  days. 

July  6. — We  did  not  march  till  noon.  The  men  are  im- 
proving in  marching ;  we  continued  to  follow  the  course  of 
the  river,  although  its  direction  was  now  northerly,  as  we 
hoped  to  strike  a  branch  which  would  have  our  (easterly) 
direction.  We  have  as  yet  met  with  no  such  tributary  of  any 
considerable  size  ;  and  we  conclude  that  the  country  cannot 
be  peopled  inland,  as  they  always  settle  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  water.  Accordingly,  we  have  the  great  inducement  of 
keeping  to  the  river,  that  we  know  we  Avill  be  sure  of  finding 
some  food,  while  there  is  little  or  none  to  be  found  in  the 
forest. 

July. 7. — Mr.  Stanley  now  travelled  in  the  boat ;  I  was  with 
the  advance  guard.  We  passed  a  village,  and  then  made  a 
long  detour  inland — so  as  to  avoid  rivers  and  swamps.  We  cut 
our  way  persistently  through  thick  bush,  from  11  a.m.  till 
5  P.M.  At  4  P.M.,  we  again  touched  the  Aruwimi,  which  here 
takes  an  easterly  direction,  that  is  more  in  the  line  of  our 
course.  We  were  frequently  obliged  to  leave  the  elephant- 
tracks  and  native  paths,  and  cut  new  roads  for  ourselves. 
When  it  was  time  to  stop  for  the  night,  we  signalled  to 
Mr.  Stanley  by  a  rifle  shot.  It  is  with  great  difficulty  that 
we  cleared,  by  cutting,  sufficient  room  to  pitch  our  three 
tents. 

July  8. — We  started  at  6.30  a.m.  Nelson  was  in  advance, 
and  I  did  not  leave  camp  with  the  rear-guard  till  9.30  a.3I. 
The  bush  is  very  dense,  and  difficult  to  cut  through ;  hence  the 
delay  of  three  hours.  This  shows  how  difficult  it  is  to  get 
on,  as  the  baggage  was  but  a  few  yards  ahead.  Mr.  Stanley 
took  a  canoe  to-day,  and  Stairs  went  in  the  boat ;  as  he  is  still 
weak,  and  hardly  able  to  use  his  legs. 

We  did  about  five  miles  to-day,  passing  through  three 
deserted  villages.  The  natives  all  abandon  their  villages  as 
we  approach,  carrying  all  their  belongings  with  them.     Their 


78  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

"  Intelligence  Department "  rivals  that  of  the  British  army 
during  the  Nile  expedition  of  1884-5. 

July  9. — We  started  at  6.30  a.m.,  and  accomplished  a  good 
day's  marching ;  as  there  was  a  path  all  the  way,  and,  accord- 
ingly, there  was  but  little  cutting  to  be  done.  The  river  still 
lies  in  our  direction,  and  this  relieves  the  column  of  the  in- 
cumbrance of  the  boat  and  her  equipment,  while  the  hands  who 
would  have  been  employed  in  carrying  her  are  utilised  for  other 
work.  She  also  carries  many  loads  and  sick,  the  latter  requiring 
the  largest  and  strongest  men  in  the  Expedition  as  "  bearers." 
Our  wretched  donkeys  have  nothing  but  leaves  to  eat. 

There  are  few  ethnological  curiosities  in  this  district.  The 
drums  used  by  the  natives  to  alarm  the  neighbourhood  are 
formed  from  hollowed-out  portions  of  trunks  of  trees,  and  the 
canoes  are  all  of  the  dug-out  pattern.  Cooking  pots  are  made 
from  the  clay  of  ant  heaps,  and  after  the  shape  of  some  product 
of  nature — such  as  a  "  gourd." 

July  10. — We  started  at  6  a.m.  :  I  was  in  advance,  and 
received  orders  from  Mr.  Stanley  to  keep  the  pioneers  on  the 
alert,  as  there  was  a  cataract  ahead,  and  we  might  have  to  fight. 
The  natives  were,  however,  prudent ;  and  left  us  to  enjoy  the 
neighbourhood  in  peace.  We  left  the  bank  of  the  Aruwimi 
at  9  A.M.,  as  there  was  no  path ;  so  we  had  the  greatest  difficulty 
in  finding  our  w-ay,  and  had  to  steer  by  a  compass. 

July  11. — We  marched  to  the  head  of  the  Falls;  then 
halted  and  returned  for  the  boat  and  canoe,  which  we  got  over 
the  cataract.  As  many  of  the  men  were  footsore,  they  were 
allowed  to  rest  there  for  the  remainder  of  the  day. 

The  ants  are  very  troublesome  in  this  part  of  the  forest. 
They  travel  in  army  corps :  with  their  commissariat,  pioneers, 
intelligence,  and  other  departments  thoroughly  organised. 
They  frequently  pass  in  a  continuous  stream  for  several  hours 
by  our  tents,  sometimes  even  through  them.  If  not  molested, 
they  go  along  quietly;  but  once  disturbed,  and  their  line. 
broken,  they  become  vicious  and  revengeful.  The  majority 
are  small  and  red,  but  a  certain  proportion  of  large  black  ones 
are  to  be  seen  among  the  crowd.  Wo  are  obliged  to  straj)  our 
knickerbockers  very  tiglitly  round  the  leg ;  petticoats  would 
never  do  in  this  country. 

I  opened  out  all  my  baggage  after  halting,  and  exposed 
tlie  various  items  to  the  sun ;  as  everything  gets  wet  in  the 


1887.]  FEOM   YAMBUYA    TO   AVISIDBA.  79 

forest,  and  drying-  is  slow,  on  account  of  tlie  density  of  the 
foliage.  I  was  extremely  glad  of  the  day's  rest,  as  we  all  have 
to  do  our  marching  on  foot,  our  donkeys  being  too  weak  to 
accommodate  us.  My  personal  baggage  now  consists  of  a  few 
pairs  of  trousers  and  socks  (only),  with  pyjamas,  and  a  pair  of 
boots. 

The  village  here  has  huts  of  two  different  kinds ;  one  is  of 
conical  pattern,  raised  on  a  high  mound  of  earth,  and  covered 
with  leaves ;  the  second  is  quadrangular  in  outline,  with  very 
definite  measurements,  usually  about  twenty  feet  long,  and 
thirteen  feet  wide ;  with  a  ridge  pole  six  feet  two  inches  from 
the  floor.  They  are  built  with  saplings  covered  in  with  large 
leaves  of  the  amomum,  and  are  arranged  in  rows,  so  as  to  form 
a  street  of  very  fair  width. 

We  came  across  two  women  yesterday,  who  promised  to  show 
us  the  road.  One  of  them  ran  away  last  night,  leaving  her  baby 
(aged  about  four  years)  with  us  in  camp.  The  unhappy  child 
had,  of  course,  to  be  left  behind,  as  we  had  no  milk  to  give  it. 
I  saw  it  last,  as  we  marched  out  of  camp,  lying  on  a  mat  near 
the  fire  chewing  some  plantains.  Poor  little  thing  !  I  hope  its 
mother  returned  for  it;  indeed,  I  think  it  extremely  likely 
that  she  did,  as  our  movements  were  always  so  well  known  to 
the  natives  about. 

July  12. — We  made  a  good  march,  and  stopped  for  a  meal 
of  rice  at  10.30  a,m.  Mr.  Stanley  and  Stairs  came  uj),  in  the 
canoe  and  boat  respectively,  and  soon  after  we  halted  for  the 
day. 

July  13. — I  led  the  advance  party,  and  left  the  Aruwimi  at 
9  A.M.  We  steered  by  a  compass.  Halted  at  10.30  a.m.  for 
cold  rice  and  coffee,  and  met  the  river  again  at  4  p.m.  We 
halted  in  a  village  near  this  point ;  but  presently  we  heard  a 
shot  higher  up,  which  was  a  signal  for  us  to  go  on  to  where 
Mr.  Stanley  was,  about  one  hour's  march  ahead.  About  half- 
way a  regular  tornado  came  on,  and  the  rain  literally  poured 
down,  drenching  everything.  Fortunately  I  was  able  to  get  a 
dry  suit  of  pyjamas  from  Stairs. 

July  14. — Nelson  and  Jephson  did  not  reach  our  camp  till 
morning.  They  had  to  sleep  in  the  bush,  with  some  of  the 
Zanzibaris ;  as  it  became  too  dark  to  grope  their  way  through 
the  forest.  Their  only  clothing  is  a  wretched  suit  each,  and 
they  w^ere    both    ill  with    fever  when   they  came    in,  which 


80  EXFEEIENCES  IN  EQUATOEIAL   AFBICA.         [1887. 

increased  during  the  day.     Three-fourths  of  the  column  had 
remained  out  during  the  night,  but  all  were  in  by  noon. 

We  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  in  a  village.  We  could  not, 
however,  succeed  in  drying  our  things;  and,  as  everything 
was  drenched,  the  loads  were  extra  heavy.  The  marching 
throuo-h  the  forest  after  rain  is  the  reverse  of  comfortable,  as 
the  trees  keep  dripping  heavily  for  hours. 

Several  of  our  men  were  badly  wounded  yesterday  by 
wooden  spikes  {mahonga).  They  had  been  placed  in  the  path 
by  the  natives,  and  pierced  the  feet  of  the  carriers.  Many  of 
them  must  be  by  this  means  totally  disabled  for  months.  Some 
of  the  spikes  are  made  longer  and  stronger,  for  the  purpose  of 
penetrating  the  abdomen  ;  these  were  generally  placed  at  the 
end  of  a  log,  so  that  when  our  men  jumped  down  the  spike 
penetrated  with  the  whole  momentum  of  the  body.  These 
spikes  were  generally  pretty  well  concealed  by  leaves ;  so  that 
all  onward  movement  was  excessively  dangerous  where  they 
were  placed,  and  required  the  most  extreme  caution. 

Without  a  compass  we  should  certainly  have  got  lost  for 
ever  in  this  forest,  as  it  is  with  difficulty  that  the  sun  can  be 
seen  at  all.  Mr.  Stanley  generally  goes  out  on  the  river 
(or  hews  down  some  trees,  or  waits  for  a  clearance)  to  take 
an  observation  with  the  sextant  and  theodolite.  He  takes 
observations  every  day,  usually  about  noon,  so  as  to  localise 
our  position. 

July  15. — This  was  Stairs's  first  day's  marching  since  his 
illness.  We  passed  through  a  succession  of  villages,  with 
strong  palisades  and  bastions  in  some  places.  I  found  nine 
eggs,  but  all  were  bad — our  experience  goes  to  show  that 
African  hens  never  do  lay  fresh  eggs — also  a  native  girl,  who 
had  been  burnt  from  head  to  foot  on  one  side,  and  could  not 
run  away  in  consequence. 

One  of  the  Nubian  soldiers  got  punished,  and  was  sentenced 
to  thirty  days'  carrier  duty,  for  forgetting  his  rifle  in  camp. 
Stairs  brought  it  on  afterwards. 

It  is  very  diilicult  to  find  out  what  the  names  of  the  places, 
are  here.  3[r.  Stanley  learns  a  little  from  the  natives  ;  who  arc 
ca])tured  for  that  pur})ose,  and  then  released. 

July  1G. — Mr.  Stanley  sent  a  Zanzibari  running  back  for 
me — at  11  a.m.,  to  hurry  up  and  see  a  man  who  had  been 
wounded  through  the  femoral  artery.     He  had  died,  before  I 


.1887.]  FROM   YAMBUYA    TO   AVISIBDA.  81 

reached  bim,  from  the  excessive  ha3morrhage.  I  was  greatlv 
disappoiutecl,  as  it  was  a  nice  case  for  ligature,  and  liis  life 
could  easily  have  been  saved.  I  remember  a  precisely  similar 
occurrence  near  Alexandria  in  1882,  when  Lieut.  Howard  Vise, 
of  the  Mounted  Infantry,  lost  his  life  through  ignorance  of  the 
most  elementary  foots  of  anatomy  on  the  part  of  his  comrades. 

Jephson  was  very  feverish ;  and  was,  consequently,  sent  on 
in  the  boat.  All  the  rivers  are  so  swollen  that  we  are  some- 
times up  to  our  necks  in  wading  through ;  and  we  often  meet 
as  many  as  a  dozen  of  them  in  a  day's  march.  Our  donkeys 
are  constantly  sinking  or  swimming ;  and  they  almost  in- 
variably have  high  fever  after  a  swim  across  a  good-sized 
river,  just  like  their  Christian  and  Pagan  fellow-travellers. 

July  17. — Kain  fell  heavily  during  the  night,  and  drenched 
everything.  We  started  early,  and  marched  about  eight 
miles. 

July  IS. — We  started  at  noon,  and  went  on  through  the 
forest  till  we  struck  the  Aruwimi,  at  2  p.m.  Fired  a  few 
shots  as  a  signal  to  J\Ir.  Stanley,  but  he  was  too  far  ahead 
and  did  not  hear  them.  We  halted  at  5  p.m.  We  had 
no  tents ;  but,  fortunately,  there  was  no  rain.  Everything 
about  us  was,  however,  soaked  from  that  which  had  recently 
fallen. 

We  experienced  a  new  treat  to-day  in  passing  some  hornets' 
nests  ;  which  are  built  of  clay,  and  suspended  from  the  branches 
of  trees.  If  passed  without  noise  these  brutes  take  no  notice, 
but  they  become  atrociously  vicious  when  their  auditory 
organs  are  over-stimulated,  as  they  were  by  the  passage  of 
our  column.  They  are  long  and  black,  and  just  touch  the 
skin  in  their  flight,  leaving  a  fearfully  painful  sting  in  the 
part,  which  becomes  severely  inflamed  soon  afterwards. 

We  are  all  sick  of  rice  by  this  time  ;  we  would  like  some 
meat  for  a  change,  as  we  have  not  had  a  scrap  since  we  captured 
the  goat  in  the  canoe  on  the  4th  inst.,  and  which  lasted  but  a 
very  short  time  indeed. 

July  19. — We  all  had  a  very  uncomfortable  night,  as  our 
blankets,  &c.,  were  thoroughly  soaked.  Under  the  circum- 
stances I  managed  to  develop  a  colic,  which  more  than  kept 
me  awake.  We  breakfasted  on  biscuits,  rice,  and  coffee,  and 
left  camp  at  6  a.m.  By  10  a.m.  we  reached  Mr.  Stanley's 
^camping-ground  of  the  previous  night,  but  we  continued  our 

a 


82  EXFEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.         [1887.. 

marcli  for  (two  and  a  half  miles  further)  to  a  village.  We  thea 
lialted  so  as  to  give  the  men  a  chance  of  prowling  around 
for  food,  as  they  have  had  very  little  for  three  or  four  days. 
We  then  managed  to  dry  our  clothes,  which  had  been  all  but 
mildewed. 

July  20.— Two  of  our  Zanzibaris  :  Charlie  No.  1,  and  Musa 
Bin  Juma,  had  not  returned  with  the  foraging  party.  They 
must  have  lost  their  way  while  searching  for  food,  and  we 
believe  that  they  have  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  natives. 
Their  rifles  are  also  lost,  as  every  man  carried  his  rifle.  We 
held  a  general  inspection  of  companies,  and  marched  for  a 
short  distance  to  a  village.  Here,  to  our  glad  surprise,  the 
natives  approached  us  in  a  friendly  manner  in  canoes,  and 
sold  us  twelve  chickens,  which  were  very  acceptable  indeed. 

The  natives  here  speak  a  very  peculiar  language;  every 
word  is  accented  on  the  last  syllable. 

The  river  here  changes  its  direction,  and  runs  north  again. 
July  21.— We  made  a  short  march  and  halted  in  a  village- 
All  the  villages  we  pass  through  have  just  been  deserted;, 
we  always  find  the  live  embers  on  the  hearth.     For  the  last 
few  days'  march,  the  river  presents  a  series  of  rapids. 

The  natives  here  have  extremely  good  features ;  the  nose  is. 
flattened  only  in  a  very  few  instances.  The  skin  is  not  black,, 
but  of  a  moderately  brownish  tint. 

Nelson  was  very  seedy  to-day.  I  am  having  almost  con- 
tinuous rows  with  the  cooks  for  not  boiling  the  drinking-water,, 
according  to  directions,  and  not  frying  the  manioc  sufficiently. 
They  are  four  in  number,  and  give  plenty  of  trouble  in  pro- 
portion. We  have  all  come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  much 
the  best  plan  to  have  our  meals  separately,  as  it  is  impossible 
that  we  can  all  sit  down  together,  and  the  man  who  comes  last 
invariably  complains  that  there  is  .nothing  left !  If  any  one 
takes  a  second  helping  he  is  shadowed  as  a  gourmand,  sa 
jealous  are  we  of  our  scanty  fare;  but  the  most  serious  ob- 
jection was  taking  "  a  little  more  meat,  if  you  please,"  arid 
quietly  passing  the  plate  on  to  our  hungry  boy  to  supplement 
his  sluirc,  so  that  he  might  keep  strong  and  look  well  after  us,. 
while  others  at  the  table  had  not  half  enough  to  eat.  >So  often, 
was  each  of  us  caught  in  jlagrante  delicto  that  this  premeditated 
crime  became  a  treasonable  offence. 

July  22. — I  was  with  the  advance  guard  on  this  day's  march.. 


1887.]  FllOM   YAMDUYA    TO   AVISIDBA.  83 

We  went  well  towards  the  East,  so  as  to  avoid  rivers  and 
swamps ;  and  Lad  to  cut  the  last  2^  miles  through  an  almost 
solid  growth  of  bush.  After  marching  all  day  as  well  as  we 
could  get  on  under  the  circumstances,  we  found,  on  stopping 
for  the  night,  that  we  had  advanced  but  four  miles  in  the  right 
direction.  We  passed  many  villages  and  manioc  fields,  and 
stayed  for  the  night  in  a  village  consisting  of  three  huts.  I 
saw  a  chicken  in  one  of  the  villages  as  we  passed,  and  attempted 
to  secure  it  with  the  aid  of  my  Winchester  rifle,  but  was  disap- 
pointed. It  is  impossible  to  catch  these  fowls  alive,  as  they  run: 
like  pheasants.  So  they  always  escaped  from  us  into  the- 
bush. 

The  natives  were  not  in  arms  against  us,  so  we  managed  to- 
talk  to  a  woman  and  child ;  but  as  they  could  not  tell  us  any- 
thing about  the  country,  we  let  them  go  their  ways.  In  some 
places,  the  natives  had  cut  down  largej  trees,  so  as  to  obstruct 
our  path  by  letting  them  fall  across  it.     Boycotting  tactics  I 

Three  of  our  men  who  had  been  missing  have  now  returned. 
Charlie  No.  1  is  still  absent. 

July  23. — There  are  several  villages  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
the  Aruwimi ;  there  are  also  plenty  of  bananas  there,  but  none 
on  this  side.  There  appears,  however,  to  be  plenty  of  game  : 
judging  from  the  footprints,  I  should  say  that  there  are 
thousands  of  elephants  in  our  vicinity ;  but  it  is  absolutely 
impossible  to  shoot  anything  as  the  forest  is  so  dense.  Tlie 
river  is  quite  400  yards  wide  here,  and  there  are  no  cataracts. 

Mr.  Stanley  found  the  broken-ofif  pointed  end  of  a  sword- 
bayonet  in  a  canoe ;  this  fragment  must  have  an  interesting: 
history  if  it  could  be  discovered.  It  must  have  had  a  weary 
pilgrimage  in  finding  its  way  to  these  parts,  previously  un- 
trodden by  the  white  man.  It  may  have  come  from  the  Nile,. 
or  the  Congo,  or — more  likely  than  either — from  Zanzibar,. 
with  the  Arab  slave-trader  or  ivory-hunter. 

I  found  a  thing  like  a  tun-dish,  and  ascertained  upon  inquiry 
that  it  was  a  specimen  of  the  instrument  used  by  the  natives- 
in  giving  enemas.  On  examining  it  closely,  I  found  that  it  was 
constructed  of  a  half  cocoa-nut  shell ;  with  a  hole  drilled  in  the 
middle,  for  the  insertion  of  a  piece  of  hollow  cane. 

I  shot  a  large  water-fowl,  and  Mr.  Stanley  got  two  chickens 
for  our  dinner ;  so  we  had  three  birds  in  all.  The  Zauzibaris 
sometimes  boil  their  fowls;  but,  as  a  rule,  they  prepare  the 

G  2 


84  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA,         [1887. 

chicken  by  removing  the  entrails,  plucldng  off  thefeathers,  and 
opening  up  the  body,  by  cutting  down  along  either  back 
or  breast ;  then  fixing  it  on  a  sharp-pointed  stick,  which  is 
fastened  in  the  ground  and  inclined  over  a  fire.  The  fowl  is 
then  left  there  till  it  has  become  quite  dried  up — for  a  couple 
of  hours  at  least. 

July  24. — Jephson  wdth  the  advance  party :  we  marched 
ten  miles  (eight  geographical)  by  the  river,  perhaps  twenty  by 
land,  owing  to  the  various  curves  and  angles  of  our  path. 

The  men  are  greatly  troubled  with  ticks — about  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  sheep-tick.  This  pest  fixes  itself  to  the  lining  mem- 
brane of  the  nose,  and  requires  forcible  removal  with  a  forceps, 
when  it  sometimes  carries  the  mucous  membrane  with  it,  and  is 
invariably  gorged  with  blood.  The  "jiggers"  are  becoming 
less  numerous ;  their  presence  is  recognised  by  a  black  tender 
spot,  from  which  the  Zanzibaris  know  how  to  remove  the 
parasite  with  a  pin  or  knife. 
We  passed  no  villages  to-day. 

July  25. — The  natives  are  not  so  timid  here  as  they  were 
down  river ;  a  few  come  up  close  and  sell  chickens,  but  the 
supply  is  so  scanty  that  we  can  only  aspire  to  a  leg,  wing, 
slice  of  back,  &c.,  each.  The  natives  are  really  very  fine- 
looking.  Our  chief's  cockney  servant  says  that  the  girls  are 
the  "  'ansomest  as  I  has  ever  seen."  The  pleasing  impression 
which  might  have  been  conveyed  by  their  fine  features  is, 
however,  j)retty  well  neutralised  by  the  fact  that  they  all 
have  a  look  suggestive  of  wishing  to  catch  you  and  toast 
you  immediately. 

After  a  difficult  march  we  reached  a  village.  As  usual,  posts 
wore  stuck  up  around  it  with  skulls  on  top ;  one  of  these  was 
distinctly  "  recent,"  as  there  was  still  some  flesh  on  it,  and  its 
appearance  at  once  developed  the  idea  that  its  unhappy  owner 
had  been  an  item  on  the  menu  at  a  cannibal  banquet  lately 
held  by  tlie  inhabitants.  Corn-cobs,  horns,  and  "  charms,"  of 
various  kinds,  were  also  hung  up. 

July  26. — We  accounted  ourselves  lucky  to-day,  as  we  had 
reached  a  fairly  comfortable  village  camping  place  last  night ; 
and  it  was  well,  for  the  rains  descended  ancf  the  floods  came 
during  the  night,  as  if  they  threatened  to  wash  us  ofl'  the  face 
of  the  earth.  It  still  continues.  I  shot  a  hornbill  for  dinner 
last  evening,  but  it  ate  like  parchment.     We  remained  all  day 


1887.]  FROM   YAM  BUY  A    TO    AVISIDDA.  85 

in  camp.  Forty  men  from  each  company  were  sent  out  to 
pick  manioc,  as  we  were  short  of  provisions.  I  shot  four 
doves  for  dinner  to-day ;  wo  consider  these  a  "  big  feed  "  for 
six  of  us. 

There  are  rapids  just  ahead  of  us  on  the  river;  accordingly, 
all  the  loads  have  been  removed  from  the  canoes,  and  carried 
to  the  head  of  the  rapids.  My  medicine  boxes  are  thoroughly 
soaked,  both  outside  and  in. 

July  27. — We  started  early  on  our  march,  and  halted  at 
3.30  P.M.  I  shot  a  hornbill.  We  were  obliged  to  strip  naked 
and  wade  across  some  rivers  on  our  way.  Heavy  rain  fell ; 
everything  we  have  with  us  is  thoroughly  saturated,  and  we 
are  obliged  to  sleep  in  wet  clothes.  My  donkey's  leg  Avas  very 
nearly  broken,  through  the  negligence  of  my  second  servant ; 
the  leg  Avas  caught  in  a  bough,  and  the  poor  brute  held  on  by 
this  one  leg  for  about  five  minutes,  so  that  he  was  quite  lame 
afterwards. 

A  dreadful  calamity  befell  our  biscuits,  as  the  box  was 
allowed  to  fall  into  the  river,  and  now  we  shall  have  but  sour 
biscuits  and  rice  to  eat,  besides  a  chance  fowl. 

There  is  nothing  in  these  parts  but  forest  and  thick  under- 
growth covering  the  whole  face  of  the  earth ;  it  is  as  dark  and 
gloomy  as  at  Hyde  Park  Corner  on  an  ordinary  foggy  day. 

July  28. — I  shot  a  laurie  bird,  which  did  well  for  our 
dinner.  I  was  on  rear-guard,  and  arrested  a  native — which  is 
not  an  easy  task,  as  they  have  nothing  on  to  hold  by — from 
Avhom  we  gathered  that  there  is  an  affluent,  running  from  the 
8outh  into  the  Aruwimi,  about  two  days  ahead  of  us.  The 
natives  do  a  good  deal  of  trading  with  canoes  on  the  river. 

The  Zanzibaris  have  had  no  food  for  two  days. 

July  29. — We  marched  at  about  6.30  a.m.  ;  I  was  with  the 
advance  party.  We  cut  a  path  through  some  loose  bush ;  and, 
after  marching  five  miles,  we  came  up  with  IMr.  Stanley.  We 
camped  early  (at  2  p.m.). 

We  have  met  with  no  villages  on  our  bank  (south)  for  the 
past  two  days.  There  was  a  large  village  opposite  our  camp 
this  afternoon,  and  some  of  the  natives  were  induced  to  come 
across  with  corn,  fowls,  &c.,  for  sale.  Each  man  had  one 
matako  and  three  cowries  given  him,  to  purchase  food  for  two 
days.     Eain  fell  heavily  during  the  later  part  of  the  afternoon. 

July  30.— The  rain   poured   unceasingly   all   night   long. 


8G  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFFdCA.         [1887. 

Everything-  is  in  a  dreadful  mess,  and  the  ground  is  like  putty 
from  the  effects  of  soaking  with  the  enormous  quantity  of  rain 
that  has  recently  fallen.  The  natives  came  over  about  7  A.M. 
and  sold  corn  to  our  men  ;  l)ut  the  latter  always  spoil  the 
market  by  giving  such  large  prices  for  food.  In  the  afternoon 
prices  went  up  500  per  cent,  so  that  food  could  not  bo 
purchased. 

July  31.— This  is  Mugwye's  village. 

Each  officer  had  orders  to  muster  his  company  at  6  A.M.  My 
company  (No.  1)  was  then  ordered  across  the  river  first ; 
Jeplison's  next;  Nelson's  followed  in  turn.  When  on  the 
other  side,  Ave  collected  plenty  of  manioc,  bananas,  and  Indian 
corn.  We  found  twelve  elephants'  tusivs  (about  the  value  of 
£400)  lying  uncared  for  about  the  village.  They  are  used  by 
the  natives  as  seats  ;  they  do  not  know  the  great  commercial 
value  of  ivory,  for  no  traders  have  ever  penetrated  so  far  into 
the  forest.  I  found  a  ring,  and  crescent-shaped  ornament 
made  from  copper ;  this  is  the  first  specimen  of  the  metal  with 
which  we  have  met.     (Vide  sketch :  Curios.) 

Aug.  1. — The  natives  were  furiously  incensed  against  us  for 
having  caught  one  of  them :  they  gatliered  in  nvimbers,  and 
shot  poisoned  arrows  at  us.  We  told  them,  through  an  inter- 
preter, that  we  only  wanted  food,  that  our  men  were  dying  of 
hunger,  and,  that  if  they  brought  in  three  goats  and  some 
manioc,  we  would  pay  them  and  also  release  their  man.  They 
would  not,  however,  be  parleyed  with. 

We  marched  early  and  stopped  at  2  r.M.  The  Nubians' 
canoe  turned  over  to-day  ;  no  one  was  drowned,  but  two  rifles 
were  lost.  The  natives  told  us  that  there  is  a  great  lake 
situated  two  days'  march  before  us. 

Aug.  2. — One  of  Jephson's  men,  Khamis,  died  of  acute 
dysentery,  and  was  buried  in  camp.  I  led  the  advance  guard, 
and  caught  up  our  chief  at  luncheon.  We  continued  our  march 
till  ().30  r.M.,  and  remained  in  the  bush  all  night.  Mr.  Stanley 
had  gone  on  far  ahead  ;  we  signalled  for  him,  but  he  did  not 
reply  till  10.30  r.M. — when  all  was  qui<^t,  and  we  could  hear 
the  report  of  the  rifle.  We  liad  no  tents;  very  fortunately 
there  was  no  rain. 

Aug.  3. — AVe  caught  up  jMr.  Stanley's  camp  after  the  first 
hour's  marcli  in  tlie  morning.  We  did  not  halt  till  4  p.m., 
wlien  we  licard  the  welconie  news  that  there   had  been  two 


1887.]  FnOM   YAMBUYA    TO   AVISIBBA.  87 

goats  captured.     This  is  the  first  (quadruped's)  meat  we  liave 
seen  for  a  month  (by  to-morrow). 

Stairs  is  feverish  again. 

Two  of  Jephson's  men  strayed  away  from  camp  yesterday, 
and  returned  to-day;  they  received  punishment  (with  the 
stick).  An  order  was  now  issued  by  Mr.  Stanley  that  all  the 
chiefs  (Muniaparas)  should  report  every  evening,  to  their 
corresponding  officers,  the  number  of  men  and  rifles  missing. 

Aug.  4. — A  day  of  mishaps !  Soon  after  our  column  and 
flotilla  had  started,  two  of  Stairs's  canoes  turned  over  in  twelve 
feet  of  very  rapidly  running  water.  Fourteen  rifles,  fifteen 
boxes  of  aiuuiunition,  five  boxes  of  cowries,  three  loads  of 
beads — all  went  to  the  bottom.  Of  these,  however,  eleven 
boxes  and  five  rifles  were  recovered  by  divers.  Hassan,  a 
Somali  boy,  worked  marvellously  Avell  under  water,  and  took 
up  most  of  the  things.  He  was  secured  all  the  time  by  a  vine 
tied  round  his  waist,  to  save  him  from  being  swept  down  river 
by  the  very  strong  current. 

We  stopped  work  at  5  p.m.,  when  we  had  something  to  eat ; 
then  started  for  camp,  which  we  reached  at  midnight.  We  had 
to  feel  for  the  blazes  on  the  trees  all  the  way  in  the  dark. 
Thus  ended  seventeen  hours'  work  for  one  day. 

Aug.  5. — Mr,  Stanley  captured  ten  goats  yesterday,  at  a 
placStj  called  Panga.  Two  of  these  were  issued  to  each  of  our 
four  companies.  Some  curious  knives  were  found  ;  they  were 
of  different  shapes  and  very  indifferent  material. 

Stairs  cut  a  ten-foot  road  through  the  forest  for  a  distance 
of  one  and  a-half  miles,  so  as  to  have  the  boat  and  canoes  con- 
veyed to  a  point  on  the  river  above  a  cataract  which  obstructed 
■our  flotilla.  Nelson  took  a  party  into  the  forest  to  forage,  but 
returned  without  any  food.  Jephson  was  sent  back  to  the 
.scene  of  yesterday's  catastrophe ;  he  succeeded  in  recovering 
two  boxes  and  on 5  rifle.  I  was  occupied  getting  the  canoes 
hauled  round ;  they  were  half-way  by  the  evening.  Mr.  Stanley 
tells  us  that,  according  to  his  observations,  we  have  done  but 
one-third  the  distance  to  the  Albert  Nyanza;  this  is  very  slow, 
although  we  appear  to  be  going  and  working  from  morning 
till  night,  and  the  entire  distance  from  Yambuya  to  the  lake 
is  not  quite  GOO  miles. 

The  men  got  a  little  Indian  corn ;  they  have,  since  the 
28th  ult.,  had  no  food  but  green  leaves,  roots,  and  forest  fruits. 


88  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.         [1887.. 

Jeplison  saw  a  hippo  and  a  crocodile.  This  is  the  first 
crocodile  that  has  been  sighted  for  800  or  900  miles. 

Aug.  6. — We  got  our  boat  and  canoes  safely  across.  Some- 
of  the  latter  had  various  necessary  repairs  performed  ujDon 
them.  Jephson,  Nelson,  and  myself  went  off  on  foraging 
expeditions,  but  we  got  nothing.  Our  men  are  greatly  reduced 
in  condition,  and  are  growing  very  weak  for  want  of  food.  If 
this  way  of  living  continues  much  longer,  we  shall  have  to 
throw  away  some  of  the  loads. 

Mr.  Stanley  went  up  river  in  the  boat  and  saw  two  villages. 

Aug.  7. — Stairs  was  in  advance  to-day,  Avith  but  five  scouts^ 
to  clear  the  way  for  our  advance.  The  remaining  thirty- 
five  have  been  deputed  to  carry  loads — on  account  of  the  great 
number  of  sick  we  have  at  present. 

Jephson's  canoes  were  overset ;  all  the  men  were  saved  after 
a  struggle,  but  eleven  rifles  and  all  the  kits  went  to  the 
bottom !  Fortunately  there  were  no  loads  in  the  canoes. 
Mr.  Stanley  was  hailed,  and  quickly  returned  to  the  scene  of 
disaster.  Nine  rifles  and  one  kettle  were  recovered — most  of 
them  by  Feruzi  Ali,  one  of  my  former  chiefs.  A  splendid 
fellow. 

As  there  was  another  rapid  ahead,  the  column  marched  on 
for  three  or  four  miles,  and  then  halted  to  clear  a  road  through 
the  bush  to  haul  over  the  boat  and  canoes. 

Aug.  8. — All  hands  busy  this  morning.  Stairs  was  engaged 
in  cutting  the  road  ;  Jephson  in  getting  the  boat  over  ;  Nelson 
and  myself  hauling  at  the  canoes.  As  soon  as  the  boat  was 
launched,  ]\Ir.  Stanley  rowed  up  the  river  in  it  to  reconnoitre : 
lie  returned  late  in  the  evening  with  twelve  goats — a  Avelcome 
prize  to  all  of  us.  Our  men  are  getting  extremely  weak,  as 
they  have  had  no  manioc  since  the  2Sth  inst.  In  this  debili- 
tated condition  they  suffer  greatly  from  ticks  in  the  nose,  and 
I'rom  gastro-intestinal  catarrh  ;  but  by  far  the  most  formidable 
malady  is  the  rapidly  spreading  nicer  which  forms  at  the  seat 
of  the  very  slightest  abrasion  of  the  skin.  IMany  are  suffering 
from  pal[)itation  and  anosmia. 

Aug.  9. — ]\Ir.  Stanley  went  on  ahead  of  us,  and  captured 
eight  other  goats,  which  were  distributed  among  the  men  as 
rations.  The  conical  huts  of  the  native  villages  are  now 
replaced  by  rectangular  ones. 

The  men  are  now  beginning  to  steal  food  from  us,  and  from 


1887.]  FROM   YAM  BUY  A    TO   AVISUJL'A.  89 

their  comrades,  and  crime  is  on  the  increase,  slmphj  from 
hunger. 

One  goat  is  made  to  supply  six  of  us  for  two  days.  I 
am  now  mess-caterer,  and  have  to  hear  a  great  deal  of 
grumbling,  as  I  have  reduced  the  rice-ration  to  half;  wo 
have,  even  at  this  rate  of  distribution,  only  enough  left  for 
six  days.  I  hope  and  pray  we  may  come  to  a  corn-country 
soon. 

Aug.  10. — All  hands  able  to  work  turned  out  of  camp  to-day, 
to  forage  for  food.  I  remained  behind  to  look  after  the  sick, 
drying  medicines,  lint,  &c.,  and  to  look  round  the  camp 
generally.  Two  natives  told  us  that  there  was  a  fight  here 
yesterday  ;  when  the  villagers  returned  from  their  warfare,  they 
found  us  in  possession  of  their  village.  They  say  that  there  is 
no  food  nearer  than  two  days.  Nelson  crossed  the  river,  and 
brought  back  some  bananas ;  the  native  men  on  his  arrival 
forsook  the  women  and  fled,  and  the  women,  in  turn,  dropped 
the  children  and  took  to  their  heels,  but  shortly  afterwards 
returned  as  they  saw  we  meant  no  mischief  to  them. 

Jephson  brought  in  some  bananas.  One  of  his  men  was 
stabbed  in  the  front  of  the  neck  with  a  spear;  it  passed 
through  his  windpipe  and  gullet.  This  village  is  one  of 
Mugwye's. 

AiJG.  11. — I  went  with  the  advance  party,  accompanied  by  a 
native  woman  as  guide  ;  she  had  promised  to  lead  us  where  we 
should  find  large  quantities  of  provisions,  goats,  &c,,  &c.  AVe 
marched  twelve  long  miles  to-day,  but  saw  no  food  whatever, 
although  we  passed  three  villages ;  they  were  all  quite  deserted 
and  empty.  We  got  to  camp  at  3.30  r.M.,  but  Nelson  did  not 
arrive  with  the  rear-guard  till  6.15  p.m.  He  is  now  down  with 
fever.  I  volunteered  to  go  foraging  with  the  men  this  after- 
noon, but  they  were  too  fatigued  to  make  any  further  exertion. 
Hassani,  a  man  who  is  dying  from  acute  dysentery,  was  left 
behind  in  a  hut,  as  we  have  no  transport  to  carry  him. 

Aug.  12. — One  of  our  Soudanese  was  lost  in  the  bush 
yesterday  :  such  an  accident  may  occur  to  any  person  here,  for 
if  one  walks  100  yards  away  from  camp  into  the  bush,  and 
turns  round  two  or  three  times,  he  does  not  know  where  he  is, 
or  in  what  direction  to  move.  At  daybreak.  Stairs  and  myself 
started  with  ninety  men  each,  and  returned  at  4  p.m. — with 
enouofh  bananas  for  one  meal.     We  found  three  villages  which 


"90  EXPEDIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

had  only  just  Leen  deserted  a  few  hours  before,  as  the  fires 
were  still  lighting.  I  found  a  dead  man  in  a  hut  prepared 
for  burial ;  he  was  resting  in  an  inclined  position,  his  shoulders 
raised  and  knees  drawn  up  and  tied  with  a  rope,  Avhich  was 
fixed  by  the  other  end  to  the  roof  of  the  hut,  so  that  the  legs 
were  flexed  on  the  thighs,  and  the  thighs  upon  the  trunk. 

I  shot  three  chickens,  with  one  charge  from  my  hammerless 
breechloader.  It  is  impossible  to  catch  any  of  them  alive,  jis 
they  run  so  fast  and  disappear  hopelessly  in  the  bush ;  they 
•  are  never  tame,  like  our  domesticated  ones  at  home.  I  made 
a  good  square  meal  oft'  one  before  returning  to  camp  ;  it  is 
the  first  I  have  had  for  a  long  time. 

On  returning  to  our  quarters,  I  found  a  Zanzibari  lying  dead 
•on  the  path  in  a  pool  of  blood — within  200  yards  of  the  camp. 
He  had  a  bullet  wound  through  the  head ;  which,  penetrating 
at  the  inner  canthus  of  the  left  eye,  had  come  out  in  front  of 
the  right  ear.  It  was  not  a  case  of  suicide,  as  there  was  no 
rifle  near,  and  the  entrance  wound  was  not  scorched  or  stained 
with  powder.  The  body  was  brought  into  camp  by  Mr. 
Stanley's  orders,  and  an  investigation  held,  but  we  learned 
nothing  further. 

We  reproached  the  old  woman  who  had  promised  us  yester- 
<lay  to  lead  us  to  supplies  of  food,  and  led  us  twelve  miles  to 
nothing,  but  we  were  obliged  to  give  her  up  as  hopeless,  she 
was  either  too  dense  or  too  cunning. 

Aug.  13. — We  left  camp  at  G  a.m.  ;  Jephson  leading. 
Nelson  was  with  the  middle  section  of  the  column,  and  I  was 
with  the  rear-guard.  Jephson  has  a  large  ulcer  on  his  leg. 
We  marched  along  a  fairly  good  track  till  about  noon,  when 
we  reached  a  river  of  about  50  yards  in  width.  It  was  also 
of  considerable  depth ;  so  we  conveyed  all  the  men  and  loads 
to  the  opposite  bank  in  our  boat  and  a  canoe.  We  were 
obliged,  of  course,  to  make  very  many  trips.  My  rear-guard 
•consisted  of  twelve  men ;  of  whom  four  carried  loads,  and  one 
led  a  goat.     Nelson  and  myself  were  the  last  to  cross. 

We  camped  in  a  village  on  the  opposite  bank,  named  Avis- 
ibba.  About  an  hour  after  the  crossing,  the  natives  assem- 
bled in  very  considerable  force  ;  and  made  a  determined  attack 
upon  us.  Tiiey  shot  arrows — poisoned  and  non-poisoned.  We 
immediately  fell  in  our  companies,  and  took  up  a  defensive 
l)osition  ;  keeping    up  a    heavy  independent    fire    for  a  con- 


1887.]  .     FROM   YAM  BUY  A    TO   AVISIBBA.  01 

siderable  time,  when  they  drew  off.  They  were  on  the  other 
bank,  and  they  sheltered  themselves  behind  the  trees,  popping 
out  from  time  to  time  to  let  fly  their  arrows,  and  disappearing 
again;  so  that  it  was  impossible  to  get  a  steady  aim  at  any 
of  them,  and  it  reminded  me  rather  forcibly  of  ferreting 
rabbits.  They  made  a  fearful  row;  shouting  and  yelling,  in 
demoniacal  fashion,  among  the  trees  behind.  Nelson  and 
myself  were  standing  on  a  little  promontory,  and  doing  some 
shooting,  when  I  presently  saw  Mr.  Stanley  coming  down 
with  his  gun-bearers.  So  I  went  to  tell  him  what  was  going 
on ;  when  Jephson  met  me,  and  told  me  that  Stairs  had  been 
wounded,  while  getting  into  the  boat  to  attack  and  drive 
away  the  sharp-shooters  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  I 
immediately  returned,  took  him  out  of  danger  of  the  missiles, 
and  examined  him.  He  was  very  much  blanched;  there 
was  very  little  ha?morrhage,  but  he  was  suffering  greatly 
from  shock  and  pain.  I  found  a  punctured  wound  on  the 
left  side  of  the  front  of  his  chest,  just  below  the  nipple : 
■close  to  the  apex  of  the  heart.  Just  as  he  was  hit,  he  had 
.struck  the  arrow  aside  with  his  arm;  this  had  the  effect  of 
breaking  it  off*  in  the  wound,  leaving  a  couple  of  inches 
within  the  chest,  and  well  concealed  behind  the  rib  ;  where 
it  was  covered  by  the  overlapping  intercostal  muscles,  which 
had  closed  over  it.  Accordingly  I  could  not  reach  the 
broken  fragment  with  the  probe,  and  I  considered  cutting 
•down,  and  hunting  about  for  it,  as — under  the  circum- 
stances— unjustifiable  surgery.  As  the  arrow  was  a  poisoned 
one,  I  regarded  suction  of  the  wound  as  offering  the  best  and 
•only  chance  of  his  life  ;  for  the  point  had  penetrated  much 
deeper  than  a  caustic,  applied  externally  to  the  wound,  could 
possibly  reach.  Acting  on  the  idea,  I  at  once  sucked  the 
■  edges  of  the  wound  ;  till  I  felt  sure  that  I  had  extracted  the 
greater  part,  if  not  the  whole,  of  the  adherent  poison.  I 
then  dry-cupped — by  forming  a  partial  vacuum ;  washed  out 
my  mouth  with  a  weak  solution  of  carbolic  acid,  and 
injected  the  Avound  with  the  same,  touching  the  edges 
finally  with  lunar  caustic.  I  applied  carbolised  dressings  to 
the  wound,  and  bandaged  the  whole  securely.  He  was  now^ 
very  faint;  and,  of  course,  very  anxious  ;  so  I  gave  him  half 
.a  grain  of  morphia  by  hypodermic  injection.  In  the  evening 
.he  had  a  severe  attack  of  intermittent   fever,  the   exciting 


92  EXPEBIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

cause  of  which  was,  certainly,  the  wound  he  had  received. 
Many  of  our  men  were  also  badly  wounded,  and  were  sucked 
by  their  comrades,  whose  mouths  were  carefully  washed  out 
with  a  disinfectant  as  a  precaution  against  absorption  of  the 
poison. 

When  the  fight  was  over,  we  jiosted  numerous  sentries,  and 
fortified  our  position  for  the  night.  There  are  plenty  of 
bananas  in  the  village  now,  so  that  we  have  some  reason  to  be 
thankful  for  the  place.  During  the  fight,  Nelson  was  sent 
round  with  his  company  to  enfilade  the  enemy ;  but  he  could 
not  succeed  in  recrossing  the  river,  owing  to  its  size. 


(     ^3     ) 


CHAPTER  V. 

FEOM   AVISIBBA   TO   UGARROWWA'S   CAMP. 

Siieut.  Stairs'  condition — Further  heavy  rains — Gigantic  game-pits — Guided 
by  a  native  we  are  led  out  of  our  way — Lost  in  the  forest — Saat  Tato  to 
tlie  rescue — Effect  of  the  cold  and  wet  weather  on  our  Zanzibaris — We 
are  attacked  by  natives — -Results  of  foraging  against  orders— Some  cases 
of  tetanus  among  the  men — Fire  in  a  neighbouring  village ;  anxiety 
regarding  our  baggage — A  perfect  ant-bed — I  arrive  at  Stanley's  camp — 
Medical  inspection  of  the  men — Meeting  with  the  river  column  at  the 
junction  of  the  Nepoko  and  Aruwimi — Our  camp  at  the  Falls— Amputa- 
tion of  Juma's  foot — Depressing  effect  on  the  men  of  perpetual  forest 
marching— Our  donkeys — The  last  box  of  biscuits  missing — Carrying 
the  steel  boat  Advance  around  the  cataract — My  surgical  dressings  box — - 
An  Arab  salute — We  fall  in  with  Ugarrowwa  and  his  ivory  hunters — 
■Shocking  scene  in  a  village — Mr.  Stanley  developes  sj'mptoms  of  dysen- 
tery— Dangei-s  of  camping  near  malarious  marsh  or  swamp- — -Numerous 
-desertions  of  the  men,  taking  with  them  their  rifles  and  ammunition — 
Scarcity  of  food — Progress  of  our  river  flotilla — -Tremendous  downpour  of 
rain — Another  Arab  encampment — State  visit  paid  by  Mr.  Stanley  to  the 
Chief — Contrast  between  our  men  and  the  burly  Arabs. 

Aug.  14. — Stairs's  temperature  was  100"  F.  this  morning ; 
-evening  temperature  rose  to  101  "2^  There  has  been  very 
little  external  ha3morrhage  from  his  wound.  Respiration  is 
extremely  difficult,  and  the  dyspncea  when  lying  down  is 
very  great.  He  also  complains  a  good  deal  of  pain  in  the 
deft  shoulder.  Both  these  symptoms  point  to  injury  of  the 
diaphragm,  and  I  do  not  at  all  like  either. 

The  natives  allowed  us  to  sleep  peacefully  last  night,  and 
we  have  the  additional  gratification  of  having  obtained  a  good 
stock  of  food — including  a  number  of  goats  ;  one  of  our  men 
■captured  eight  or  ten  of  the  latter  while  the  fight  was  going 
on  yesterday — a  wise  man,  and  a  public  benefiictor ! 

Nelson  mustered  a  party  of  his  men,  and  marched  up  the 
.river  which  separated  us  from  the  natives ;  who  still  lurked 
about,  and  tried — unsuccessfully — to  cross  the  river  so  as  to 
get  in  rear  of  them. 

Aug.  15. — Early  preparations  were  made  for  the  march.     I 


1)4  EXPEBIENGES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887.. 

had  Stairs  placed  on  an  inclined  cliair  (lent  by  Mr.  Stanley)^ 
in  a  comfortable  position  in  a  large  canoe.  He  breathes  much, 
more;  easily  when  raised  from  the  horizontal  position.  I 
wished  him  to  be  carried  down  to  the  riverside,  but  he  per- 
sisted— to  my  great  anxiety — in  walking  the  short  distance 
(twenty  or  thirty  yards);  for  he  has  the  greatest  horror  of 
being  looked  on  or  treated  as  an  invalid,  except  when  actually 
prostrate.  His  temperature  Avas  now  normal.  I  am  in  hopes 
that  even  if  I  do  not  succeed  in  discovering  the  broken-off 
arrow-point,  it  will  be  discharged  spontaneously  from  the 
wound;  for  I  consider  it  very  imprudent  to  use  the  probe 
mucli  or  often,  as  its  careless  or  heroic  use  would,  almost  to 
a  certainty,  be  productive  of  more  harm  than  good. 

When  the  flotilla  had  started,  the  land  column  commenced 
to  move;  Jephson  leading,  Nelson  in  the  centre,  myself  iiij 
rear.  We  marched  (away  from  the  river)  till  dark.  Jt  rained 
lieavily  during  a  great  part  of  the  day,  and  our  clothes  were- 
thoroughly  soaked.  Nelson  and  myself  slept  together  in  the 
forest  on  his  waterproof  sheet,  and  opposite  a  roaring  fire,, 
which  Ave  had  kindled  under  a  tree.  We  had  made  a  long 
and  fatiguing  march,  so  that  the  saturated  condition  of  oiu- 
garments  did  not  prevent  us  from  sleeping  soundly. 

Jephson  (with  the  advance  party)  managed  to  reach  a  village 
just  at  sunset.  Nelson  and  myself  remarked  that  we  were  not 
going  in  the  right  direction,  and  I  am  very  anxious  about 
Stairs,  as  we  have  got  his  blankets  and  clothes,  although  I  had 
told  him  that,  for  fear  of  accidents,  which  might  occur  at  any 
time  to  the  best-regulated  party  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  ho 
ought  to  have  these  things  placed  in  the  canoe  with  himself. 

Wo  marched  in  a  south-easterly  direction  all  day;  the 
line  of  the  river  was  north-east,  so  that  we  have  now  got  to  a 
considerable  distance  from  it.  About  midnight,  Jephson,  out 
of  thorough  good  nature,  returned  a  couple  of  miles  to  our 
resting-place  by  torchlight — to  give  us  warning  of  the  pre- 
sence of  game-])its  ahead,  into  which  ourselves  or  our  men 
might  unwarily  fall,  if  we  had  not  been  made  aware  of  their 
existence.  We  fully  appreciated  this  kindness;  but,  as  he 
had  brought  us  back  no  food,  we  did  not  invite  him  to  share 
our  watcrpro(jf,  and  ho  returned  to  his  own  men  in  camp. 
'I'he  pits  referred  to  were  formed  like  gigantic  graves  ;  they 
were  about  fourteen  feet  deep,  and  intended  for  the  reception 


1887.]        FROM  AVISIBBA    TO    UGAREOWWA'S  CAMP.  95' 

of  elephants  and  other  large  game.  So  we  decided  not  to 
let  any  of  our  men,  with  their  boxes,  &c.,  move  forward  during 
the  night. 

Jephson  agreed  with  us  that  he  had  gone  out  of  his  way^ 
but  the  error  was  due  to  the  directions  of  a  native  woman  who 
acted  as  guide,  and  the  advice  of  Mbaruku,  a  Zanzibari,  who 
generally  went  ahead  of  the  scouts,  as  he  was  supposed  to  be 
a  good  pilot  in  the  forest. 

Aug.  16. — We  started  very  early,  and  soon  reached  the 
village  where  Jephson  had  camped.  We  then  had  some 
roasted  bananas,  and  held  council  as  to  what  direction  we 
should  take  next.  This  question  was,  however,  soon  decided  ; 
as  Jephson  told  us  that  shots  had  been  fired  during  the  night, 
which  he  had  answered,  and  they  were  repeated  in  reply. 
Accordingly  he  started  (in  advance),  in  the  direction  of  the 
shots,  and  we  did  a  long  day's  march,  stopping  at  5.30  p.m. 
in  a  village,  where  we  tried  to  make  ourselves  comfortable  for 
the  night.  A  great  part  of  the  march  was  spent  in  diplo- 
matising with  the  banks  of  a  river  which  we  thought  we  might 
be  able  to  avoid  crossing;  this,  however,  we  found  impossible, 
so  we  performed  the  transit  successfully  just  before  halting. 

We  have  now  consumed  our  last  grain  of  rice,  and  must  in 
future  be  content  to  live  on  plantains,  and,  perhaps,  an 
occasional  goat — if  lucky  chance  will  throw  the  latter  in 
our  way. 

We  are  extremely  anxious  to-night,  as  ^\e  have  been  sepa- 
rated from  Mr.  Stanley  and  the  rest  of  the  force  for  so  long 
a  time  ;  and  Stairs  has  been  without  any  treatment. 

Aug.  17. — Things  now  look  very  serious ;  we  are  simply 
lost  in  the  forest,  with  the  great  bulk  of  the  Expedition,  and 
there  is  no  food  whatever.  Mr.  Stanley  is,  of  course,  anxiously 
waiting,  and  wondering  what  has  become  of  us ;  Stairs,  and 
about  thirty  of  the  men,  now  invalided — many  of  whom  were  • 
wounded  in  the  engagements  of  the  loth  and  1 4th — are 
without  medical  assistance.  After  we  had  marched  till  2  p.m., 
through  miles  of  wilderness,  I  thought  that  something  must 
be  done  to  improve  our  position,  so  Nelson  and  I  wrote  a  note 
to  Jephson,  suggesting  that  we  should  return  by  the  same  way 
we  had  come.  He  then  halted  the  column,  consulted  with 
Nelson  and  myself,  and  we  had  decided  to  return,  when — ^just 
as  we  were  about  to  move  off — we  heard  some  shots,  to  which. 


m  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.         [1887. 

we  at  once  responded,  and  presently  we  were  gratified  by  seeing 
Saat  Tato,  Mr.  Stanley's  chief  hunter,  and  six  other  Zanzibar! s 
—coming  to  us  through  the  bush.  They  told  us  that  they  had 
left  their  leader  early  in  the  morning,  and  caught  us  up  by 
taking  a  short  cut.  We  now  gladly  went  with  Saat  Tato,  but 
did  not  accomplish  any  great  distance,  as  we  had  very  soon  to 
make  the  transit  of  a  deep  river ;  on  the  opposite  bank  of 
which  we  camped  for  the  night. 

Saat  Tato  told  us  that  he  had  a  brush  with  the  natives  on 
his  way  to  relieve  us ;  they  had  attacked  him  and  his  party. 

Aug.  18. — We  marched  from  daybreak  till  5  p.m.  ;  then 
halted  for  the  night  in  a  village.  During  the  latter  part  of 
our  march,  rain  fell  in  torrents.  We  were  obliged  to  carry  six 
of  the  sick  and  feeble  men ;  one  of  them  died  in  his  hammock 
as  we  were  marching,  having  succumbed  from  exposure  to  the 
-cold  and  rain. 

The  Zanzibaris  suffer  much  from  the  cold  and  wet  weather 
as  we  proceed.  When  drenched  they  look  miserable,  shiver 
iill  over,  turn  a  greenish  yellow  colour,  and  display  a  general 
development  of  cutis  anserina  all  over  the  surface  of  the  body. 
Their  limbs  stiffen,  and  actually  become  unfit  for  use ;  then 
they  cough,  become  feverish,  &c.,  and  develop  all  sorts  of  chest 
complaints. 

At  11  A.M.  we  halted,  as  usual,  to  eat  some  plantains  byway 
of  luncheon  {tereheso).  During  the  meal  we  were  surprised 
by  the  wily  and  watchful  natives,  who  poured  in  a  volley  of 
poisoned  arrows  on  us  from  two  opposite  sides.  One  of 
our  men  was  badly  hit  in  the  back.  As  we  had  allowed 
the  column  to  go  on  before  us,  and  the  breakfast  party  con- 
sisted only  of  Nelson  and  myself,  with  a  few  men  to  guard  us, 
we  were  obliged  to  remain  under  cover  in  the  village,  and  fire 
at  them  as  best  we  could ;  to  charge  them,  and  so  expose 
ourselves,  was  to  make  certain  of  being  hit,  and  we  had  not 
enough  hands  to  carry  even  one  more  wounded  man.  It 
would  also  place  us  at  a  further  disadvantage,  by  showing  the 
smallness  of  our  numbers,  and  so  increasing  the  courage  of 
our  assailants.  After  a  few  shots,  however,  the  natives  fell 
back  into  the  bush,  and  we  took  the  opportunity  of  flying  as 
fast  as  wo  could  after  our  column.  We  soon  overtook  Jephson, 
who  had  halted  in  a  village  with  the  men. 

Shortly  after  we  got  into  camp  some  of  the  men  disobeyed 


1887.]      FROM  AVISIBBA    TO    UGAItnOWWA'S   CAMP.  97 

orders  by  going  out  foraging  in  small  parties  of  twos  and  threes  ; 
the  result  was  that  one  man  was  shut  in  the  liver  by  an  arrow, 
and  died  almost  immediately  from  haemorrhage.  The  head 
had  penetrated  to  the  depth  of  six  inches.  Up  to  the  moment 
of  his  death  the  wretched  victim  denied  that  he  had  gone 
foraging,  and  persisted  in  saying  that  he  had  been  hit  by  a 
native  who  »vas  concealed  in  the  hut,  and  shot  at  him  just  as 
he  entered,  the  assassin  then  making  his  escape.  JBut  we  are 
so  accustomed  to  these  tragic  excuses  for  disobedience  and 
imprudence  from  the  Zanzibaris,  that  we  have  ceased  to  give 
much  credit  to  them — even  when  offered  by  the  dying. 

Maruf,  of  No.  1  company,  who  was  wounded  on  the  loth, 
died  to-day,  in  great  agony,  from  tetanus.  I  also  noticed 
to-day  symptoms  of  develo23ing  tetanus  in  another  man,  who 
was  wounded  in  the  same  attack — on  the  loth. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  camp,  Jephson  had  tea  and  goat  soup 
ready  for  the  sick.  I  gave  small  but  repeated  enemas  of  a 
strong  infusion  of  tobacco  to  the  case  of  incipient  tetanus. 

Aug.  19. — At  3  a.m.,  we  were  all  alarmed  by  fire  in  a 
neighbouring  village,  where  some  of  the  Zanzibaris  had  slept. 
It  was  but  fifty  yards  off,  and  the  village  in  which  we  officers 
had  put  up  was  too  small  for  the  entire  force.  Fortunately, 
we  had  all  the  baggage  and  ammunition  stored  with  us  in  our 
own.  village.  Nelson  very  quickly  went  over,  in  the  dark,  and 
after  some  hours  had  the  fire  put  out.  Jephson  and  myself 
kept  watch,  as  we  were  very  anxious ;  if  fire  broke  out  in  our 
quarters,  the  ivhole  Expedition  was  absolutely  ruined,  as  all  the 
ammunition  and  baggage  were  \vith  us  ;  and  the  village  street 
was  so  narrow  that  there  could  not  be  time  to  remove  them, 
as  the  dry  wood  and  leaves  of  which  the  huts  were  composed 
would  have  blazed  up  almost  instantaneously. 

We  left  at  7  a.m.,  carrying  away  two  wounded  men;  of  whom 
one  subsequently  died  of  tetanus.  He  is  the  same  in  whom  I 
noticed  the  premonitory  symptoms  yesterday.  We  reached 
the  Aruwimi  at  3  p.m.,  without  any  further  accident.  We 
camped  for  the  night  in  the  bush,  close  to  the  river.  Mr. 
Stanley  was  not  in  sight ;  he  had  encamped  at  some  distance 
higher  on  the  river. 

Aug.  20.  —  We  marched  early,  and  moved  onwards,  till 
2.30  P.M.,  keeping  close  to  the  river-bank  all  the  time.  Here 
we  were  stopped  by  a  large  tributary,  evidently  the  same  one 


98  JCXrEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1887. 

we  had  crossed  ou  the  17tb,  when  further  inhxnd ;  and  here  we 
found  the  couriers  -svhom  we  had  disi)atched  to  Mr.  Stanley  on 
the  evening  of  the  17th,  with  a  note  expLaining  our  position, 
so  as  to  make  his  mind  easy  about  us.  The  stupid  men  had 
simply  stopped  at  the  river,  and  remained  there  waiting  for 
us,  having  never  made  any  effort  to  get  across. 

Presently  a  Zanzibari  from  the  boat  arrived,  and  told  us 
to  return  a  few  hundred  yards — to  the  junction  of  this  river 
with  the  Aruwimi,  where  a  canoe  was  waiting,  by  Mr.  Stanley's 
orders,  ready  to  portage  the  Expedition  across.  Darkness, 
however,  soon  came  on,  so  that  but  a  few  of  the  men  and  boxes 
could  be  got  over.  Jephson,  with  some  men,  went  on  in  the 
boat  to  Mr.  Stanley,  who  was  about  a  mile  ahead  of  us. 

The  place  where  we  lay  was  a  perfect  ant- bed.  It  was  im- 
possible to  sleep,  as  myriads  of  these  vicious  little  demons 
kept  continuously  swarming  out  of  the  ground,  running  all 
over  one,  and  leaving  the  wliole  surface  of  the  body  as  painful 
as  if  it  had  been  covered  with  a  cantharides  jacket. 

Aug.  21. — Jephson  returned  early  this  morning  with  orders 
from  Mr.  Stanley  that  he  and  Nelson  were  to  go  for  plantains, 
and  I  was  to  go  on  to  Mr,  Stanley's  camp.  When  I  went  there, 
I  found  a  great  deal  of  sickness.  One  man,  Msa,  had  died  of 
dysentery,  two  of  tetanus  (as  I  could  ascertain  from  the  descrip- 
tion of  their  symptoms  given  by  Mr.  Stanley),  and  twenty- 
eight  others  still  lie  helplessly  prostrate  in  the  camp.  Stairs 
looked  wonderfully  well,  considering  his  history;  his  tempe- 
rature was  normal,  there  was  a  purulent  discharge  from  the 
wound,  but  no  sign  of  the  arrow-point  has  yet  appeared. 

3rr.  Stanley  seemed  depressed,  but  was  not  at  all  so  irritated 
by  our  long  delay  as  I  had  anticipated  that  he  would  have 
been. 

During  our  absence  Stairs  had  s-lept  in  an  apartment  of 
Mr.  Stanley's  tent,  and  had  a  very  miserable  time  of  it. 

Aug.  22. — We  were  aroused  early,  the  tents  were  soon  struck, 
and  we  marched  at  7  a.m.  We  left  Jephson  behind,  with  some 
men  to  guard  a  portion  of  the  ammunition ;  the  whole  could 
not  bo  carried  with  us  now,  on  account  of  the  great  number  of 
sick  ;  so  the  men  made  a  return  journey  in  the  evening  to 
bring  it  up. 

We  are  having  a  hard  time  of  it.  There  is  now  no  meat  to 
eat— oniy  unripe  plantains  to  live  on,  and  the  work  is  dreadfully 


1887.]      FROM  AVISIBUA    TO    UGARROWWJ'S    CAMF.  UO 

fatiguing,  as  we  are  marching  through  bush  from  morning  till 
night.  The  hornets  and  ants  are  at  present  even  more  dreaded 
pests  than  the  natives  with  their  poisoned  arrows,  so  that  we 
have  a  considerable  proportion  of  the  ills  of  life  around  us. 
Almost  all  the  men  who  were  wounded  at  the  action  of  Avis- 
ibba  have  died  of  tetanus,  except  Stairs. 

Aug.  23. — We  started  early,  and  met  the  canoes  after  .i 
march  of  half-a-mile.  We  put  some  of  our  boxes  on  board, 
and  continued  our  March  till  4  p.m.  I  have  eaten  five  small 
unripe  plantains  to-day,  and  feel  very  empty  still. 

I  held  a  medical  inspection  of  all  the  men.  The  sick  are 
distributed  as  follows :  No.  1  company,  6  sick ;  No.  2,  14 ; 
No.  3,  16  ;  No.  4,  21. 

Aug.  24. — Eain  fell  very  heavily  during  the  early  part  of 
the  day,  and  effectually  prevented  us  from  starting  till 
1.30  P.M.  Jephson  was  in  advance.  The  weather  was  exceed- 
ingly rough,  and  the  river  so  dangerous  in  consequence,  that 
we  were  obliged  to  unload  the  flotilla  at  3  p.m.,  and  the  loads 
were  carried  on  to  the  camp,  which  was  about  twenty  minutes 
ahead.     Jephson  went  up  river  to  find  a  canoe. 

As  we  pass  up  the  river  the  rapids  become  more  numerous, 
and  the  navigation,  in  consequence,  more  tedious  and  difficult. 
Stairs  is  doing  well ;  some  of  the  periosteum  has  been  rubbed 
off  his  rib,  which  will  have  the  effect  of  making  his  recovery 
more  prolonged,  as  it  is  probable  that  a  portion  of  the  bone 
will  undergo  exfoliation  for  want  of  nutrition. 

Aug.  25.  — We  started  very  early.  The  scouts  gave  Nelson 
ii  great  deal  of  trouble.  He  was  in  advance,  and  they  left 
him  and  went  off  to  look  for  food  in  the  villages.  They 
refused  to  go  beyond  a  certain  place ;  but,  when  Mr.  Stanley 
came  up,  they  soon  fell  into  their  proper  places,  and  went  on 
quietly  again. 

We  camped  at  3  p.m.  The  men  are  always  100  per  cent. 
better  off  when  we  camp  in  a  village ;  they  are  well  housed, 
without  the  trouble  and  fatigue  of  collecting  the  materials  for 
sheltering  themselves;  they  are  protected  from  the  wind  and 
rain,  and  their  firewood  is  always  at  hand ;  while  food  and 
water  are  also  sure  to  be  close  by. 

The  Zanzibaris  behave  very  strangely.  After  a  weary  day's 
march,  carrying  from  morning  till  night  a  load  of  from  6C  lb>. 
to  80   lbs.    in    weight,   on  arriving  in  camp  they  almost  in- 

11  2 


100  EXPEniENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.        [1887- 

variably   go  off  long  distances  foraging  for  food.     Many  of 
them  come  back  wonnded. 

Aug.  26. — We  started  at  7  a.m.  Nelson  was  ahead  with  hiS' 
company. 

AVe  halted  at  a  large  river  for  luncheon,  after  which  the 
Expedition  was  conveyed  across  in  a  canoe.  Here  we  met 
3Ir.  Stanley  and  Stairs  with  the  river  party,  in  the  boat  and 
canoes.  AVe  now  heard  the  well-known  (and  unmistakable) 
sound  of  a  cataract  ahead  ;  and,  after  three  hours'  marching,  we 
reached  it.  'J'his  is  at  the  junction  of  the  JSTepoko  (of  Junker) 
with  the  Aruwimi.  They  join  at  a  right  angle,  and  a  beauti- 
ful cataract  is  formed  at  the  line  of  confluence — the  Nepoko> 
dropping  into  the  larger  stream  by  a  beautiful  cascade. 

We  encamped  in  a  village  just  opposite  to  the  Falls,  where 
we  got  a  supply  of  plantains  and  manioc,  and  made  a  boma» 
or  stockade  of  banana  stalks  around  our  camp,  so  as  to  prevent 
the  arrows  penetrating  directly  into  the  houses. 

The  houses  are  rectangular  in  outline,  with  moderately 
sloping  roofs;  and  each  has  a  little  stockaded  courtyard  foe- 
protection  of  the  inmates. 

Aug.  27. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day,  and  the  stronger 
men  were  sent  in  detachments  to  seek  for  food.  The  plantains, 
are  improving  as  we  go  on.  Jephson  was  sent  inland  with 
100  men,  to  draw  down  to  the  river  a  dug-out  canoe  which  had 
been  made  by  the  natives,  at  a  distance  of  about  2;^  miles  fromi 
the  river. 

There  are  now  very  many  sick  in  camp  ;  most  of  them 
are  suffering  from  ulcers  of  the  lower  extremities. 

At  5  P.M.  Juma  (of  No.  1  company)  was  carried  into  camp, 
and  placed  on  the  ground  opposite  Mr.  Stanley's  tent ;  he  had 
been  shot  with  a  Winchester  bullet  through  the  right  foot  by 
one  of  his  companions,  whether  accidentally  or  intentionally 
we  never  could  iind  out,  although  a  court  of  inquiry  was  held. 
The  missile  had  entered  at  the  heel,  and  passed  through  the 
tarsal  and  metatarsal  bones  in  the  direction  of  the  little  toe. 
After  a  careful  examination,  in  which  I  found  that  most  of  the 
bones  of  the  foot  had  been  shattered  into  fragments,  I  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  there  was  not  the  slightest  chance  of  saving 
the  foot,  and  tliat  unless  amputation  was  performed  at  once  his 
life  would  also  be  probably  lost.  ]Mr.  Stanley  explained  this, 
in  his  usual  calm  and  persuasive  way,  both  to  Juma  himself 


1887.]      FROM  AVISIDBA    TO    UGAItllOWWA'S   CAMP.        101 

and  to  Rajib  Bin  Peniba,  the  nearest  relative  of  the  injured 
man,  whose  consent  it  was  necessary  to  obtain  also.  They 
agreed  that  I  should  have  carte  hlanche  to  do  whatever  I 
thought  was  for  the  best.  I  had  just  time  to  operate  before 
sunset ;  so  I  there  and  then  removed  the  foot,  by  amputating 
immediately  above  the  ankle-joint.  It  was  necessary  to  go 
:a  little  ahove,  as  the  joint  itself  was  injured.  Nelson  gave 
chloroform,  and  Mr.  Stanley  assisted.  After  I  had  dressed  the 
stump,  and  made  the  patient  fairly  comfortable  for  the  night, 
Mr.  Stanley  and  myself  proceeded  to  search  the  amputated 
foot  for  the  impacted  bullet.  xVfter  an  examination  which 
•occupied  a  considerable  time,  we  found  it  close  to  the  skin 
imder  the  little  toe ;  having  smashed  the  small  bones  of 
the  foot  into  little  fragments  in  all  directions  as  it  passed 
forwards. 

Later  on  in  the  evening,  some  unsuspecting  chickens  returned 
from  the  bush  to  roost  in  our  village ;  and  they  furnished  us 
with  some  useful  exercise  in  trying  to  catch  them. 

The  natives  catch  a  great  deal  of  fish  in  lobster-shaped 
baskets,  which  they  set  on  the  top  of  the  cascades.  Of  course 
it  would  be  suicidal  to  halt  the  entire  column  and  attempt  to 
procure  sufificieut  fish  for  even  one  meal  in  this  way. 

Aug.  28. — Juma's  temperature  is  normal,  and  he  feels  well. 
The^tump  is  well  wrapped  up  in  carbolised  gauze. 

This  perpetual  marching  through  an  apparently  never- 
ending,  dark,  unbroken  forest,  has  (very  naturally,  I  think)  a 
most  depressing  effect  on  the  men.  They  have  almost  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  no  use  in  hoping  that  we  shall 
ever  see  the  open  plain  again.  We  are  all  looking  worn-out — 
man  and  beast  declining.  Of  the  six  donkeys  which  we 
l)rought  from  Yambuya  on  the  28th  of  June,  but  three  now 
•survive,  and  one  of  these  possesses  at  present  but  a  very 
limited  expectation  of  life.  The  three  deceased  donkeys  died 
simply  of  the  effects  of  long  marching,  complicated  with  the 
negative  trials  of  starvation,  for  they  were  never  required  to 
carry  anything  but  a  few  pounds,  besides  their  saddles — which, 
however,  like  all  English  equipments  for  hot  climates,  were 
much  too  heavy  (18  lbs.  each). 

We  were  "  bushed  "  to-day,  and  could  not  manage  to  reach 
the  place  where  Mr.  Stanley  and  the  river  party  had  camped. 
However,  we  contrived  to  reach  a  village  just  at  dark,  and  we 


102  expehiences  in  equatorial  AFEICA.      [188r. 

halted  there  for  the  night.  ^Ir.  Stanley  was  about  two  mileS' 
in  advance  of  us. 

Aug.  29. — Mr.  Stanley  struck  his  camp  early,  expecting  us 
to  arrive  without  delay.  We  could  not,  however,  start  before 
7.45  A.M.,  as  eleven  boxes  were  still  missing,  their  carriers 
having  failed  to  reach  camp  last  night.  We  sent  back  Omar, 
the  Muniapura,  with  eight  men,  at  5 .  30  a.m.,  to  seek  for  the 
absentees ;  and,  on  their  arrival  in  camp,  we  pushed  on  to  meet 
Mr.  Stanley.  Although  he  was  but  two  miles  off,  we  did  not 
reach  him  till  10.30  A.M.,  on  account  of  the  extreme  difficulty 
of  cutting  our  way  through  the  thick  bush.  We  were  also 
delayed  in  crossing  a  river,  as  we  had  but  one  canoe,  and  this 
could  convey  but  six  persons  at  a  time  (without  loads).  I  was 
in  advance,  and,  of  course,  first  met  Mr.  Stanley.  I  received  a 
wigging  for  my  delay  ;  he  is  of  such  a  go-ahead  temperament, 
that  he  never  seems  to  realise  obstructions  except  he  actually 
sees  them. 

Nelson  was  very  feverish  and  ill  yesterday,  so  I  put  him  in 
a  canoe.     He  is  much  better  to-day. 

Aug.  30. — We  struck  camp  at  6.80  a.m.  ;  the  flotilla  wa& 
obliged  to  wait  till  7 .  30  a.m.,  on  account  of  a  fog,  which  cleared 
off  at  this  hour,  when  the  sun  got  up.  Since  we  left  the- 
junction  of  the  affluent  Nepoko  with  the  Aruwimi,  Ave  have- 
observed  that  the  latter  is  smaller  in  volume  by  about  one- 
third.  The  native  canoe-paddles  have  altered  in  form,  from 
oar-shaped  to  spoon-shaped. 

Our  highest  latitude  up  to  the  present  has  been  at  a  point 
near  Mugwye's  village,  where  we  reached  2°  North. 

Two  hippos  were  seen  to-day  by  the  river  party.  Mr.  Stan- 
ley, with  the  flotilla,  made  camp  at  4  p.m.  Jephson,  in  advance- 
with  tlic  laud  force,  reached  camp  at  5.30  p.m.  ;  the  rear  guard,, 
of  which  I  had  charge,  did  not  reach  cauip  till  7 .  20  p.m.  The 
men  were  thoroughly  tired  out,  having  marched  continuously 
from  6.30  a.m.  till  7.30  p.m.,  with  the  exception  of  the  halt 
for  luncheon— from  11  to  12.30.  These  men  carry  nearly 
SO  11  )s.  weight  eacli ;  their  box  of  ammunition  weighs  60  lbs., 
K.'mington  rifle,  0  lbs.,  accoutrements,  dress  (if  any),  food, 
some  rounds  of  ammunition,  sleeping-mat,  &c.,  &c.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  keep  them  together,  for  Avhen  they  get  fiitigued  they 
can  easily  evade  the  rear  guard  by  dropping  for  a  distance  of 
five  or  six  yards  oft'  tlie  patli  into  the  busli,  where  they  are- 


1887.]       FROM  AVISIBBA    TO    UG ARROW WA'S   CAMP.        1C3 

quite  iindiscernible.  They  can  then  remain  there,  as  they 
sometimes  do,  all  night.  Several  of  the  men  spent  last  nig-ht 
in  this  way,  and  came  dropping  in  one  by  one  in  the  morning  : 
it  is  marvellous  how  our  men  obey  us  so  well,  and  stick  to 
their  loads,  under  such  extreme  hardships.  Our  last  box  of 
biscuits  is  still  missing,  although  a  party  was  sent  back  to 
look  for  it,  but  they  failed  to  find  it  or  its  bearer.  We  had 
been  keeping  this  box  for  an  unforeseen  emergency,  and  I  am 
afraid  it  looks  lilce  a  judgment  of  Providence  for  cour ting- 
starvation  while  we  had  them.  The  emergency  has  come  now ; 
but  where  is  the  box  of  biscuits  ?  My  African  experience  up 
to  the  present  has  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  it  is  much 
Aviser  to  eat  European  provisions  while  you  can  get  them,  for 
keeping  them  only  means  that  somebody  else  eats  them,  at 
the  particular  time  you  want  them  yourself. 

We  marched  half  a  mile  to  the  upper  end  of  the  cataract. 
j\[r.  Stanley  ordered  me  to  superintend  the  carrying  of  the 
Advance  around  the  cataract ;  it  took  sixty  men  to  accomplish 
this  feat,  and  the  task  was  an  anxious  one,  as  she  is  "  distinctly 
precious  "  to  us. 

The  box  containing  my  surgical  dressings  was  made  of 
unseasoned  wood ;  and,  as  an  inevitable  consequence,  it  has 
cracked  and  warped  in  several  places,  and  lets  in  moisture  of 
all -kinds  with  the  greatest  ease.  The  result  is,  that  the 
dressings  are  getting  badly  injured ;  there  is  hardly  a  day 
during  which  the  box  does  not  receive  a  thorough  soaking, 
either  by  heavy  rain  or  a  plunge  in  some  river. 

Stairs,  I  am  gratified  to  say,  is  going  on  very  well. 

Aug.  31. — Mr.  Stanley  came  down  to  relieve  me  of  the 
transport  of  the  boat  over  the  cataract.  While  engaged  in 
this  way,  we  heard  several  shots  fired  off  in  the  camp,  which 
sounded  like  an  attack ;  or,  perhaps,  an  Arab  salute,  which  is 
just  as  furious  as — and  sometimes  more  destructive  than — an 
actual  fight  with  the  natives ;  as  the  high-handed  members  of 
this  assuming  nationality  who  bear  rifles  in  Africa  are  by  no 
means  careful,  when  letting  them  off  in  hospitable  fashion,  to 
take  any  precaution  whatever  to  prevent  their  blowing  out 
the  brains  of  their  casual  acquaintances.  It  was  just  3  p.m. 
then.  We  rushed  up  to  the  camp  as  fast  as  we  could,  and 
were  surprised  to  find  some  men  there  with  tower  muskets, 
who  spoke  Kiswahili,  and  told  us  that  they  were  Ugarrowwa's 


104  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

men,  under  the  leadership  of  a  chief  named  Balyozi.  They 
had  very  hospitably  bronght  us  a  present  of  some  fowls  and  a 
goat.  Ugarrowwa  is  a  Zanzibari  chief,  and  is  slave  to  the  great 
ivory  hunter,  Abed  Bin  Salem.  He  has  settled  just  now  higher 
up  the  Aruwimi,  for  the  purpose  of  collecting  ivory.  These 
men  looked  prepossessingly  smart  and  intelligent,  and  they 
had  their  rifles  bright,  clean,  and  in  good  order.  They  were 
cordially  received  by  our  men,  w^ho  had  long  ago  given  up  all 
hope  of  hearing  their  native  tongue  spoken  again.  Our  leader 
speaks  their  language  fluently ;  we  officers  are  only  beginning 
to  make  ourselves  understood,  for  the  language  is  a  very 
copious  one. 

Sept.  1. — I  was  with  the  advance  column  on  to-day's  march. 
We  got  over  four  or  five  miles,  and  halted  for  the  day  at 
11  A.M.  We  passed  through  a  very  long  village,  where  the 
men  got  plenty  of  plantains.  We  saw  three  children  impaled 
on  spears  here :  one  was  dead,  but  the  other  two  were  stiU 
living.  The  boat  was  taken  out  of  the  water  by  Jephson,  and 
the  men  were  sent  back  for  a  store  of  plantains. 

Sept.  2. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day.  I  dried  my 
clothes  and  medicines,  dressings,  &q.,  all  of  which  had  been 
wet  for  the  past  ten  days.  There  had  been  no  time  for  drying 
them,  as  we  marched  from  morning  till  night,  and  there  is  no 
chance  of  drying  in  the  forest  on  account  of  the  complete 
shutting  off  of  the  sun's  rays  by  the  dense  foliage. 

I  was  called  up  at  3  a.m.  to  attend  Mr.  Stanley,  who  told 
me  that  he  was  developing  symptoms  of  dysentery,  as  he 
had  great  tenesmus,  &c.  Curiously  enough,  all  of  us  white 
men  are  now  suffering  from  the  same  symptoms,  and  accom- 
panied in  each  case  by  fever.  We  are  camped  in  a  low, 
swampy  place,  and  the  wind  is  blowing  from  the  marsh  towards 
us  ;  possibly  this  is  the  cause  of  the  sickness.  Mr.  Stanley 
thinks  it  may  be  due  to  the  drinking  water,  which  had  probably 
been  drawn  by  the  careless  Zanzibari  cook  from  the  river's 
margin,  where  the  water  close  to  the  brink  is  usually  soiled 
by  the  customary  habits  of  ablution  of  the  Zanzibaris. 

The  men  were  sent  off  for  plantains,  but  some  did  not 
return  ;  and  it  is  believed  that  they  have  deserted  to  Ugar- 
rowwa's  camp,  which  is  supposed  to  be  somewhere  near. 

Si;rr.  W. — We  did  not  leave  camp  until  10  a.m.,  as  the 
niuiuiiig   was  occnj)ied    giving   each    man    twenty   rounds  of 


1887.]        FROM   AVISIBBA    TO    UGAUnOWWA'S    CAMP.       105 

ammunition,  and  ten  rounds  to  each  Winchester  repeater ;  and 
also,  in  prosecuting  a  searcli  for  the  supposed  deserters.  Our 
leader  looks  very  seedy,  although  he  felt  a  little  better  after 
breakfasting  on  a  pill  of  lead  and  opium.  His  condition  gives 
me  great  anxiety,  as  we  would  be  in  a  terrible  fix  if  anything 
serious  happened  to  him.  K\\  the  whites  are  bilious  and  weak 
after  their  sudden  illness.  I  still  think  it  was  the  position  of 
the  camp  that  made  us  all  ill ;  it  was  placed  near  a  swampy, 
foetid,  malarious  marsh,  the  exhalations  of  which  were  suf- 
ficiently copious  to  ensure  the  destruction  of  any  number  of 
Europeans  who  remained  long  in  its  vicinity.  I  saw  this 
when  we  were  about  to  encamp,  but  we  are  obliged  to  take 
any  place  we  can  get. 

I  was  on  rear  guard,  and  was  obliged  to  leave  one  Zanzibari 
behind  for  want  of  transport,  as  he  could  not  march.  Before 
leaving  camp  we  buried  several  tusks  of  ivory,  some  shovels, 
axes,  &c.,  as  we  have  not  sufficient  hands  to  carry  them  further. 

Sept.  4. — We  did  not  leave  camp  till  10  a.m.,  as  the  whole 
morning  was  occupied  in  rearranging  the  companies — for  so 
many  men  have  deserted  since  we  met  with  Ugarrowwa's 
people,  that  it  has  been  causing  considerable  confusion,  and 
threatens  disaster.  Twelve  men  absconded  last  niglit  with 
their  rifles,  and  already  about  a  dozen  boxes  of  ammunition 
have  been  lost  or  taken  by  deserters ;  so  that,  at  this  rate  of 
dispersion,  our  stores  would  seem  to  be  doomed  to  early 
■destruction. 

Mr.  Stanley  had  a  general  muster,  and  made  a  speech  to  the 
men,  telling  them  that  when  they  have  brought  the  ammuni- 
tion to  Emin  Pasha  their  hard  work  will  all  be  over.  Every 
one  is  out  of  plantains,  so  that  we  have  now  nothing  to  eat, 
but  are  nourishing  ourselves  with  the  hope  that  we  may  have 
luck  enough  to  find  some  food  to-morrow. 

The  rifles  of  a  good  many  of  the  men — whom  Mr.  Stanley 
saw  reason  to  suspect — were  now  disabled  by  having  the  spring 
taken  out. 

Sept.  b.— We  are  all  without  food.  We  left  camp  early; 
I  was  in  advance,  and  we  arrived  early  in  the  day  at  some 
villages  where  we  got  some  plantains  and  three  goats.  The 
feasting  wdiich  followed  was  simply  luxurious,  as  we  have  been 
starving  so  long.  It  takes  at  least  two  of  our  men  in  their 
present  weak  condition  to  bring  one  goat  to  a  standstill. 


106  EXPEniEXCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887.. 

We  expect  more  desertions  ;  ns  it  is  rumoured  that  Ugarrow- 
wa's  men  are  loafing  about  in  the  bush,  trying  to  induce  our 
men  to  go  over  to  them,  and  share  their  fortunes.  Mr. 
Stanley  never  anticipated  these  difficulties,  as  he  thought  he 
should  be  at  Wadelai  about  the  1.3th  of  August.  A  bright  pro- 
spect !  two  more  months  of  this  kind  of  life  before  we  hear 
anything  of  Emin ! 

Sept.  6. — I  was  on  rear  guard ;  we  marched  from  7  a.m.  till 
6  P.M.  and  camped  below  a  cataract.  We  were  so  tired  and 
wet  that  we  have  opened  some  brandy  (for  the  first  time),  and 
added  it  to  our  tea.  Three  men,  who  were  unable  to  march,., 
had  to  be  carried  all  day. 

Sept.  7. — The  canoes  and  boat  were  drawn  on  rollers  over  a 
long  flat  surface  of  rock,  and  in  this  way  passed  the  cataracts 
The  transport  of  the  canoes  occupied  100  men.  Stairs,  Jeph- 
son,  Nelson,  and  myself  were  sent  across  the  river,  with  our 
companies,  to  get  food :  we  returned  in  the  evening.  Our  camp 
is  in  a  beautiful  position — on  a  bluff  at  the  angle  of  the  river. 
It  overlooks  the  cataract,  which  presents  a  very  attractive 
scene. 

Sept.  8. — All  No.  1  Company's  loads  were  carried  in  canoes^ 
and  I  was  in  advance,  while  Nelson  took  the  rear  guard. 
Travelling  to-day  was  fearfully  difficult,  as  there  is  not  a 
vestige  of  a  path,  and  the  scouts,  forty  in  number,  had  to^ 
cut  with  their  bill-hooks  through  solid  bush  all  the  way. 
Our  course  was  along  the  side  of  a  very  steep  hill,  and  we 
travelled  in  a  southerly  direction  during  the  whole  day's 
march,  stopping  to  camp  at  2.30  P.M.  The  river  made  one 
very  large  curve,  and  several  smaller  ones,  as  we  passed  by  it. 

This  is  the  seventy-third  day  of  our  march  ;  it  is  slow,  and 
tries  one's  patience:  I  wonder  how  Job  would  have  got  on 
here  ? 

Sept.  U. — Jephson's  loads  were  distributed  between  the  boat 
and  canoes.  'J'hcy  had  bye-and-bye  to  be  taken  out,  as  a  rapic| 
obstructed  the  passage  ;  after  passing  which  they  were  replaced, 
and  proceeded  as  before,  passing  another  rapid  without  being 
discharged.  The  land  party  halted  to  camp  at  3.30  p.m.  Mr. 
Stanley  arrived  with  the  flotilla  three  hours  later.  Foraging 
parties  were  sent  across  the  river  here ;  the  men  returned  (very 
late)  with  large  quantities  of  plantains,  tobacco,  and  hJuaif/ 
(i.e.,  Indian  hemp),  whicli  the  natives  smoke,  and  all  of  which 


1887.]       FROM  AVISIBBA    TO    UGABIIOWWA'S   CAMP.        107 

we  confiscated,  as  it  is  very  injurious  ;  its  first  eflect  is  exhilara- 
tion  of  sj)irits,  a  kind  of  inebriation;  then  mirtliful  delirium  ; 
then  confusion  of  intellect ;  and,  finally,  sleep. 

Sept,  10. — I  was  in  advance  to-day.  Nelson's  loads  were 
taken  in  the  Advance  and  the  canoes.  We  stopped  at  9  a.m., 
and  pitched  our  tents  close  to  the  foot  of  a  large  cataract. 
Very  heavy  rain  fell,  thoroughly  drenching  our  tents  and 
ourselves,  with  the  entire  baggage.  About  two  and  a  half 
hours  later,  3Ir.  Stanley  arrived  with  the  flotilla  ;  and,  after 
surveying  the  cataract,  sent  the  boat  and  canoes  ahead  as  far 
as  they  could  go.  He  also  ordered  the  column  to  advance  to 
a  new  camping-ground,  about  a  mile  further  on. 

This  is  the  largest  cataract  we  have  yet  encountered. 
Nelson's  donkey,  which  has  been  on  the  eve  of  dying  of 
starvation,  strayed  away  into  the  bush  and  is  lost :  it  is  too 
weak  to  give  us  notice  of  its  whereabouts  by  braying. 

Sept.  11. — The  Advance  was  carried  beyond  the  rapids  in  five 
pieces.  The  canoes  were  sunk.  Nelson  had  an  unsuccessful 
hunt  for  his  donkey.  I  went  foraging  with  a  party  of  forty 
men,  and  succeeded  in  getting  some  plantains. 

We  were  obliged  to  leave  our  Somali  boy  behind  ;  he  was 
unable  to  travel  further,  being  literally  reduced  to  a  living 
skeleton — integument  and  bone. 

Sept.  12. — The  morning  was  wet,  but  soon  cleared  up. 
There  was  a  parade  for  health-inspection  before  starting,  and 
three  sick  men  were  left  behind  in  camp,  as  they  were  unable 
to  march.  Peringania  (Company  No.  1)  was  of  the  number. 
We  had  no  transport. 

Sept.  13. — Saadi  (Muniapara),  a  chief  in  No.  2  Company,  was 
sent  back  early  this  morning  to  hunt  up  one  of  his  men  who 
had  not  come  in  with  his  box  of  ammunition.  As  there  is. 
no  sign  of  the  return  of  either,  we  conclude  that  the  W^ashenzi 
have  caught  him,  as  he  took  but  one  companion  with  him, 
instead  of  the  usual  escort  of  five  or  ten  men.  We  marched 
to  a  rapid,  which  we  reached  at  12.30  p.m.  We  then  passed 
through  a  village,  and  camped  close  by  the  river.  All  baggage 
was  taken  from  the  canoes  and  boat,  and  piled  carefully  up. 
Jephson  unscrewed  the  boat  into  its  sections. 

Sept.  14. — We  cut  a  track  for  the  canoes  and  boat ;  the 
latter  was  carried  by  sixty  men.  One  canoe  was  brought 
round  by  the  river. 


108  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

A^ery  heavy  rain  fell  to-day. 

Sept.  15. — We  did  not  commence  marching  till  late  in  the 
day,  on  account  of  the  very  heavy  rain.  The  latitude  is  now 
1°  24'  N.  One  of  Nelson's  men  ran  away  with  a  box  of 
ammunition. 

Last  night's  downpour  of  rain  left  us  with  two  and  a  half 
feet  of  water  in  our  tents  this  morning ;  so  that  all  articles  too 
heavy  to  float  had  to  be  fished  for :  compass,  watches,  &c.,  &c. 

The  desertions  are  strong  arguments  in  favour  of  the  Congo 
route,  for  as  even  here  amongst  enemies  they  desert,  what 
would  have  happened  if  Mr.  Stanley  had  taken  advice  and 
gone  from  the  East  Coast?  Simply  this  :  we  would  not  have 
had  a  man  left  by  this  time,  as  they  would  have  all  run  back 
to  Zanzibar  as  they  have  done  from  other  explorers ;  besides, 
the  distance — from  where  we  disembarked  from  the  steamers — 
is  not  a  third  so  long  as  the  journey  from  the  East  Coast  would 
have  been  to  where  we  hope  to  meet  Emin. 

Sept.  16. — I  was  in  advance  to-day.  We  marched  about 
eight  miles.  At  noon  we  heard  loud  firing  on  the  river,  the 
reports  seemed  very  much  louder  than  those  of  the  Remington 
or  Winchester  rifle.  AVe  were,  of  course,  considerably  agitated, 
and  immediate  preparations  were  made  to  resist  an  attack.  I 
went  towards  the  river,  and  heard  from  Mr.  Stanley  that  a 
party  of  Arabs  had  been  to  visit  him,  and  fired  a  salute,  which 
was  the  report  we  had  heard.  This  was  a  pleasant  surprise — 
meeting  with  semi-civilized  people  in  these  parts,  after  our 
experience  of  forest  life.  They  had  come  over  from  their  camp 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river;  and  a  large  staff — including 
some  women  who  sang — accompanied  the  chief.  They  had  a 
laro;e  number  of  o-uns  and  rifles,  from  the  modern  Winchester 
to  the  flint-lock,  and  these  were  all  well  kept  and  bright.  The 
chief  presented  Mr.  Stanley  with*  a  few  goats,  chickens, 
rice,  and  plantains.  We  forded  across  a  small  river,  and 
pitched  camp  on  the  opposite  side,  delighted  with  our  new. 
acquaintances. 

Sept.  17. — Jephson  was  in  advance  to-day  ;  we  marched  two 
miles — to  a  point  on  the  river  just  opposite  the  x\.rab  camp, 
where  we  i>itched  ours.  The  Arab  camp  looks  a  compact 
and  comfortable  village  of  mud  and  wood  huts,  with  large 
verandahs  ;  and  the  entire  place,  is  well  fortified.  ]\[r.  Stanley 
went  in   his   host  suit,    fragrant    with    "  wood    violet,"   which 


1887.]       FROM  AVISIBBA    TO    UGAEnOWWA'S   CAMP.        109* 

especially  adds  to  one's  importance  amongst  these  people,  and 
wearing  a  sword  (which  was  presented  to  him  by  Hayed 
Bargash,  Snltan  of  Zanzibar)  as  a  talismanic  weapon,  to  pay 
a  state  visit  to  the  chief.  This  Sultan  has  more  power  in 
Central  Africa,  than  perhaps  any  other  man  living.  (It  is  the 
custom  among  the  Arabs  to  wear  side-arms  of  some  sort  on 
all  great  occasions.) 

The  Arabs  and  their  men  (principally  Many uema)  came  across 
the  river  and  did  a  good  trade  with  our  men — exchanging 
plantains  and  other  eatables  for  clothes,  cowries,  and  beads. 
Our  men  stripped  almost  naked  for  this  barter;  their  re- 
collections of  the  starvation  of  our  forest  march  proved  stronger 
than  any  other  argument.  We  got  plantain  fiour  here  for 
the  first  time,  even  the  Zanzibaris  never  knew  of  this  pre- 
paration. 

What  a  contrast  the  sleek,  fat,  and  burly  Arabs  made  with 
our  lank  and  sickly  skeletons,  reduced  as  they  are  by  the  hard- 
ships of  the  forest  and  the  march !  The  latter  have  all  an 
ashy-grey  colour,  terribly  suggestive  of  decomposition ;  the- 
Arabs  look  sleek  and  prosperous. 


110  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887 


CHAPTER  yi. 

FROM   UGAEROWWA's    TO   IFOTO. 

We  barter  with  the  Arabs  for  food — Our  sick  are  left  in  their  cliarge — 
Ugarrowwa  captures  three  deserters,  of  wliom  we  inalie  examples  — 
Crossing  the  Lenda  river — Devastated  villages — Another  big  cataract — 
Mr.  Stanley's  dog  Randy  and  the  guinea  fowl — Grim  starvation,  grim 
despair  have  possession  of  ns — Welcome  discovery  of  some  plantain 
trees — Providential  escape  of  Lieut.  Stairs  from  an  elephant — Fair 
specimen  of  a  Zanzibari  fact — We  buy  rice  from  some  passing  Manyuema 
— The  forest  an  utter  wilderness — -Foragers  are  sent  back  to  the  banana 
plantation — We  traverse  very  rough  ground — Wadi  Khamis's;  canoe — 
On  the  wrong  track  :  our  column  returns  to  the  Aruwimi — Junction  of 
the  Ituri  and  Ihuru  rivers — Mr.  Stanley  holds  a  shauri — Nelson  and  the 
sick  are  left  behind  in  camp — -Unsuccessful  efforts  to  find  game  or  food 
— I  have  another  attack  of  high  fever — -Cakes  made  of  large  brown  beans 
— My  faithful  clii"f,  Feruzi  All,  wounded  by  savages — Our  second 
starvation  camp — Capture  of  a  native  woman — -Rehani  deserts,  taking 
my  clothes  with  him — Jephson  arrives  in  camp  with  some  Indian  corn 
— The  steel  boat  Advance — Critical  state  of  Feruzi  Ali — I  approach  the 
Adamite  state  of  existence — We  hold  a  long  shauri — Accident  to  men 
while  collecting  mahunga  fruit — Mr.  Stanley  shoots  his  donkey  and 
distributes  the  flesh  amongst  us — Forest  fruits  our  only  means  of 
sustenance — We  disturb  a  hornets'  nest — My  boy  steals  some  of  my 
Indian  corn — Arrival  at  the  longed-for  Arab  village  of  Ipoto — Reception 
by  the  Manyuema. 

Sept.  18. — All  tlie  companies  mustered  in  their  full  strength 
for  the  march,  leaving-  those  unable  to  proceed  to  stay  with 
Ugarrowwa  till  onr  return.  No.  1  left  eight  Soudanese  and 
five  Somalis  behind  ;  No.  2  left  fifteen  ;  No.  3,  twelve  ;  No,  4, 
eleven.  Als(j  about  forty  Remington  rifles,  made  unserviceablp 
by  removing  the  springs.  Mr.  Stanley  made  arrangements 
that  those  Arabs  sliould  communicate  with  the  rear  column, 
and  carry  letters  to  Barttelot.  The  Maxim  gun  was  fired  to 
impress  and  amuse  the  Arabs;  but  it  did  not  Avork  very 
smoothly.  We  all  sold  what  we  could  possibly  spare  of  our 
scanty  kit  for  food.  Nelson  gave  a  shirt  to  an  Arab  chief  for 
some  plantains;  but,  having  paid  first,  he  received  no  plan- 
tains, and  never  again  saw  tlio  man  who  took  his  shirt;  the 


1887.]  FROM    UGABBOV/WA'S    TO   IPOTO.  Ill 

inarket    was    brisk,  my  blue    and    white    pyjamas    were    first 
favourites. 

Sept.  19. — We  marched  about  eight  miles.  It  was  very 
slow  work,  as  the  ground  was  so  very  greasy  and  slii)pery  after 
the  rain.  The  flotilla  was  escorted  by  the  Arabs  for  a  short 
distance — playing,  singing,  and  beating  drums.  We  were 
•conveyed  across  a  river  in  canoes.  Three  of  our  men  had 
deserted,  and  remained  in  our  camp,  hoping  to  go  over  to  the 
Arabs.  They  were,  however,  jiromptly  seized  by  Ugarrowwa, 
^vho  gave  them  tifty  each  with  the  cowbash,  and  delivered  them 
lip  to  Mr.  Stanley,  sending  them  quickly  after  him  in  canoes. 
The  wretched  men  were  immediately  tied  to  trees  for  the  night ; 
the  Arabs  were  cordially  thanked,  and  received  a  present  for 
what  they  had  done. 

Sept.  20. — Early  in  the  cold  morning  all  the  companies 
were  formed  into  a  square,  and  the  three  deserters  were  placed 
in  the  centre ;  they  were  all  doomed  to  be  hanged.  They 
■drew  lots  (short  and  long)  who  should  go  first ;  the  second  to 
be  executed  to-morrow,  and  the  third  next  day.  Mabruki 
Avas  the  first  to  go  ;  so  a  rope  was  placed  about  his  neck,  and 
.he  was  tied  to  the  top  of  a  flexible  tree  which  was  pulled  down 
for  the  purpose.  This  tree, however,  cracked;  and,  accordingly, 
•could  not  rebound,  so  the  rope  was  thrown  across  a  strong 
braB,<3h,  and  he  was  pulled  up  by  his  comrades  who  were 
prisoners.  When  a  short  interval  had  elapsed  and  Mr.  Stanley 
.asked  the  question,  "Is  he  dead?"  I  answered,  "Yes,"  and 
the  column  immediately  filed  out  of  camp,  leaving  Mabruki's 
lifeless  body  hanging  to  the  tree. 

Sept.  21. — During  the  night  one  of  the  deserters  got  away, 
and  also  two  chickens  were  lost — the  latter  was  looked  upon 
by  many  as  the  much  more  serious  tribulation.  The  remaining 
■deserter  was  brought  on  the  scene  at  an  early  hour;  all  the 
men  were  fallen  in  in  square  formation,  and,  just  as  the  rope 
was  adjusted  and  everything  ready  for  the  suspension  of  the 
unhappy  culprit,  all  the  chiefs  came  forward  as  one  man  and 
fell  at  Mr.  Stanley's  feet,  which  they  kissed,  and  begged  the 
prisoner's  life.  This  was  granted  (the  tactics  had  been  suggested 
by  Mr.  Stanley  himself  to  the  head  chief).  In  the  evening 
the  other  deserter  turned  up,  and  our  leader  took  the  oppor- 
tunity of  making  a  violent  and  impressive  speech  to  the  men. 
I  was  in  advance,  and  in  the  afternoon  reached  a  river,  the 


112  EXrEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.        [1887. 

Lenda,  about  120  yards  in  width.  This  we  crossed  in  canoes^ 
and  we  immediately  camped  on  the  other  side.  The  men 
were  let  stroll  oft'  for  food,  as  they  had  none ;  they  returned 
without  any.  We  took  advantage  of  the  fine  weather  to-day 
to  dry  our  clothes,  medicines,  dressings,  &c.,  which  sadly 
needed  the  attention,  as  they  hud  been  thoroughly  soaked  for 
several  days.     "\Ve  have  rarely  been  so  hard  up  for  fo(jd. 

Nelson  got  a  shot  at  an  elephant  to-day. 

Sept.  22. — We  started  without  hrecikfast,  and  continued  oui- 
march  without  luncheon.  In  the  evening  the  men  got  a  little 
food — where  we  camped.  We  also  procured  a  goat,  which  was. 
rapidly  dismembered. 

Sept.  23. — We  left  camp  at  6.30  a.m.,  and  marched  till 
5  P.M.,  with  the  exception  of  an  hour  and  a  half  spent  at 
luncheon.  We  passed  through  a  very  large  banana  plantation 
where  the  men  got  a  little  food.  Mr.  Stanley  had  a  shot  at  an 
elephant  from  the  boat.  He  was  hit  but  not  killed  (as  he  lay 
asleep  on  an  island  in  the  river).  None  of  our  rifles  are  heavy 
enough  for  this  kind  of  game. 

Nelson  was  carried  in  a  canoe  to-day ;  he  was  unable  to 
march,  as  he  has  several  ulcers  on  his  toes. 

Ugarrowwa  and  his  ivory-hunting  party  have  certainly 
spread  desolation  all  around  this  part  of  the  country  ;  we  every 
day  pass  by  ruined  villages,  the  natives  of  which  have  all  been 
chased  away,  or  destroyed. 

We  expect  to  meet  more  Arabs  to-morrow. 

Sept.  24. — All  our  men,  with  the  small  exception  of  the 
scouts  and  six  others,  were  off  foraging  to-day.  The  party 
kept  in  camp  were  set  to  work  to  cut  a  road  to  the  top  of  the 
cataract :  it  is  150  yards  long.  The  fall  is  about  40  feet  in 
height,  so  that  it  is  one  of  the  most  voluminous  we  have 
hitherto  met  with. 

Several  of  the  men  have  gangrenous  ulcers  of  the  feet  and 
legs — simply  from  the  want  of  nutritious  food;  as  they  have 
had  to  live  exclusively  on  manioc  and  bananas  since  leaving 
Stanley  Pool  in  April  last.  It  Avas  a  very  great  relief  to  mo 
to  have  so  many  of  the  sick  left  behind  at  Ugarrowwa's ;  as  I 
was  really  getting  very  seedy  from  the  amount  of  work  I  was. 
obliged  to  do  amongst  them. 

Sept.  25. — We  left  camp  early  and  marched  to  the  foot  of  a 
cataract.     Here  all  the  loads  were  taken  from  the  canoes,  and 


1887.]  FBOM    UGAnnOWWA'S    TO   IPOTO.  113 

carried  Ly  the  men  to  a  point  on  the  bank  above  the  cataract. 
The  Advance  was  also  conveyed  in  sections;  and  six  canoes 
were  dragged  along  the  same  path. 

Sept.  2G. — No  hreaJcfast,  no  luncheon  ;  grim  starvation,  grim 
despair  have  possession  of  us.  We  came  to  "  bad  water  "  after 
two  miles  of  marching ;  Avhen  the  canoes  were  unloaded,  and 
again  reloaded  after  passing.  This  bad  water  interval  extended 
for  about  two  miles,  with  patches  of  smooth  water  here  and 
there. 

Curiously  enough,  Mr.  Stanley's  dog  Eandy  caught  a  guinea- 
fowl,  so  that  Mr.  Stanley,  Nelson,  Stairs,  Jephson,  and  myself 
had  each  something  to  eat.  We  were  all  very  mnch  exhausted 
from  hunger,  especially  the  men,  as  they  had  had  no  food  for 
days,  except  an  occasional  fruit  or  any  other  eatable  which  they 
could  find  in  the  forest.  This  surprise  was  providential,  and  a 
marvellous  coincidence,  as  our  chief  had  halted  the  starving- 
column — to  rest  a  little,  and  had  just  been  saying  that  the 
days  of  miracles  had  not  yet  passed,  alluding  to  Elijah  being- 
fed  by  the  ravens,  &c.,  when  the  bird  fell  at  our  feet :  it  was 
the  only  guinea-fowl  we  saw  in  the  entire  forest ! 

Sept.  27. — Great  luck  !  Just  opposite  our  camp  were  some 
plantain  trees.  On  making  the  discovery,  all  the  men  were 
rowed  across  the  river ;  they  returned  in  the  evening  with  a 
great  quantity  of  bananas,  which  were  greedily  devoured.  The 
men  were  served  with  seventy-five  plantains  each ;  they  were 
not,  however,  very  large  or  substantial ;  I  disposed  of  twenty 
at  one  sitting  without  any  prominent  ill-effects. 

Nelson,  Jephson,  and  myself  remained  in  camp.  I  was 
looking  after  the  sick  and  dressing  ulcers,  all  day  long.  Stairs 
was  sent  up  river  to  reconnoitre,  and  had  an  extremely  pro- 
vidential escape  from  an  elephant  which  he  had  wounded. 
The  infuriated  animal  charged  him,  but  he  saved  himself  by 
crouching  behind  a  tree.  All  the  sporting  Zanzibaris  were  off 
and  up  the  trees  like  lamplighters,  when  they  saw  the  elephant 
charging.     Stairs  wounded  a  second  elephant,  and  one  hippo. 

Sept.  28. — We  struck  camp  early,  and  made  a  march  of 
about  nine  miles  up  river,  to  a  point  opposite  an  island  on 
which  we  saw  a  large  number  of  huts,  and  a  crowd  of  natives 
who  commenced  shouting  and  shooting  arrows.  Mr.  Stanley, 
who  was  with  the  flotilla,  had  some  bad  water  to  pass ;  so  that 
he  did  not  arrive  so  soon  as  we  did ;  and  we  could  not  cross 

I 


114  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

to  the  island,  as  we  had  no  canoe.  The  natives  soon  cleared 
out,  and  crossed  in  canoes  to  the  opposite  bank.  When  they 
had  all  gone,  some  of  our  men  swam  to  the  island ;  but  found 
nothing-  there  to  eat  except  some  dried  pieces  of  elephant's  flesh. 

Sept.  29. — Mr.  Stanley  arrived  at  9  a.m.,  with  the  flotilla. 
The  last  of  the  canoes  (with  Nelson  in  it)  did  not  drop  in  till 
about  4  P.M.  One  of  the  Zanzibaris  told  Mr.  Stanley,  while  he 
Avas  anxiously  awaiting  the  arrival  of  this  canoe,  that  he  had 
seen  Nelson  alone  in  the  canoe,  far  down  the  river,  turning- 
round  and  round  in  the  rapids.  This  was,  of  course,  pure 
imagination ;  but  is  a  fair  specimen  of  a  Zanzibari  fact,  and 
shows  what  they  are  capable  of  portraying  if  listened  to  with 
any  attention. 

The  men  went  in  search  of  food,  but  found  none. 

Sept.  30. — I  was  in  advance  to-day.  We  started  early  and 
marched  till  11 .  30  a.m.,  when  we  halted  for  rest  and  "  terekeso." 
This  Avas  prepared  and  despatched,  at  12.30  p.m.,  v/hen  we 
resumed  our  march.  We  progressed  steadily  then,  till  we 
arrived  at  a  small  primitive  native  village  ;  where  I  halted  till 
Mr.  Stanley  came  up.  We  then  pitched  camp,  and  the  canoes 
arrived  soon  after. 

At  2. 30  P.M.  five  or  six  Manyuema  arrived,  and  fired  a  salute. 
They  said  that  they  came  from  a  settlement  on  the  Lenda, 
about  four  days  off.  They  offered  for  sale  rice  in  small 
quantities,  which  we  purchased  dearly.  Our  men  went  off  in 
various  directions  in  search  of  food,  but  found  none.  Stairs 
found  a  small  antelope,  like  a  gazelle,  caught  in  a  native 
game-trap.  Didn't  wo  enjoy  the  prize  !  The  flesh  was  beauti- 
fully tender. 

Oct.  1. — Our  men  are  starving.  They  have  been  away  all 
day  for  food,  but  found  little  or  none  ;  two  men  of  No.  1 
company,  however,  accidentally  struck  a  banana  plantation  in 
their  wanderings,  and  brought  in  some  good  specimens. 

The  forest  is  such  an  utter  wilderness — huge  gloomv  trees 
and  dense  tliick  bush  beneath— there  is  no  chance  of  shooting 
anything  in  it ;  one  can  never  see  more  than  a  few  yards  ahead. 
If  any  person  loses  consciousness  of  the  exact  direction  in 
which  he  started,  after  having  penetrated  to  a  distance  of  a 
few  perches  in  the  bush,  lie  has  no  means  wliatover  of  guiding 
him  back  except  he  has  a  compass  to  steer  with.  No  visible 
or  tangible   trace   is   left   in    the    dense    undergrowth  :    and, 


1887.]  .     FBOM    UGABBOWWA\S    TO    IPO  TO.  115 

.accordingly,  it  is  most  dangerous  for  the  men  to  wander  from 
the  line  of  march,  or  from  the  camping-place,  even  for  any 
trifling  distance.  Of  all  the  scenes  of  desolation  for  any 
human  being  to  be  left  alone  in  !  I  could  not  have  fancied  it 
before  I  came  here.  Snowed  in  at  the  North  Pole,  launched 
in  a  canoe  in  the  middle  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  hardly  either 
could  compare  with  it. 

Oct.  2. — As  food  is  of  vital  importance,  we  halted  again  to- 
day ;  and  the  men  were  sent  off  for  something  edible  to  the 
banana  plantation  which  had  been  discovered  yesterday.  They 
were  under  command  of  Stairs  and  myself.  In  the  evening 
we  returned,  with  all  our  men  and  a  sufficient  supply  of  tiny 
bananas  to  give  each  person  forty.  Invariably  a  white  ofificei- 
takes  command  of  his  Company  on  a  foraging  excursion,  as 
the  Zanzibaris  are  reckless  and  lose  themselves.  They  do  not 
like  the  arrangement,  as  they  say  that  the  white  man  always 
wants  them  to  "  fall  in,"  "  fall  in." 

Oct.  3. — We  started  early,  and  marched  over  exceedingly 
•difficult  ground — very  high  hills  and  deep  valleys  were 
traversed.  Camped  at  the  bottom  of  a  ravine  by  the  river 
bank  (at  6 .  30  p.m.),  after  a  wearying  march  of  five  miles.  We 
ascended  300  feet  to-day.  It  was  now  impossible  to  march 
•close  to  the  river,  on  account  of  the  enormous  boulders  and 
the'  extreme  ruggedness  of  the  surface  between.  The  boulders 
would  have  to  be  climbed  over  or  walked  around — either 
forming  a  laborious  operation,  and  more  than  doubling  the 
■distance  to  be  traversed  ;  and  the  roughness  of  the  stony 
surface  between  is  a  great  deal  too  trying  for  the  feet,  badly 
shod  indeed  we  now  are  for  such  peregrinations.  Our  march, 
after  choosing  our  ground,  was  hard  enough. 

Oct.  4. — We  marched  to-day  over  atrociously  bad  ground, 
and  succeeded  in  making  but  two  miles.  Stairs  was  in 
advance  ;  the  entire  Expedition  was  transported  across  the 
Aruwimi  river  to  the  right  bank,  an  operation  which  lasted  from 
10  A.M.  till  2  P.M.;  and,  fortunately,  was  completed  without  any 
accident.  Hatebo  Wadi  Khamis  very  nearly  lost  his  canoe, 
full  of  boxes  and  men.  It  got  broadside  on  to  the  current, 
and  was  swept  rapidly  down  stream ;  and  were  it  not  for  the 
;great  skill  and  agility  displayed  by  the  man  who  guided  it, 
by  means  of  a  paddle  at  the  stern,  all  would  have  been  lost. 
-As  it  was,  the  canoe  was  got  safely  to  shore. 

I  2 


116  EXFKIIIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA,        [1887. 

We  camped  on  the  river  bank  for  the  night.  We  were  tired 
enough  to  Avish  for  the  halt,  short  as  was  the  actual  distance 
we  had  passed. 

Oct.  5. — I  led  the  advance  guard  to-day,  and,  as  marching 
by  the  river  was  so  excessively  difficult.  I  struck  inland,  and 
mounted  the  neighbouring  hills,  where  I  found  a  good  path. 
Along  this  we  marched  till  10  A.M.,  when  we  came  to  a  splendid 
cataract,  where  the  water  fell  through  a  perpendicular  height 
of  over  100  feet.  Just  here  Stairs  (who  was  in  command  of 
the  rear  guard)  received  a  letter  from  Stanley,  telling  him  to 
return,  as  we  were  following  a  tributary  of  the  Aruwimi,  and 
not  the  river  itself.  We  accordingly  returned  for  about  two 
miles,  and  re-crossed  the  Aruwimi — ^just  at  the  junction  of  the 
Ihuru  and  Ituri  to  form  the  Aruwimi  trunk. 

Having  re-crossed  the  river,  I  was  immediately  dispatched  to 
cut  through  the  bush,  so  as  to  form  a  road  up  to  the  side  of  the 
hill  for  our  next  day's  march.  Jephson  was  deputed  to  take 
the  boat  to  pieces,  so  as  to  have  her  ready  to  be  carried  con- 
veniently. Our  river  navigation  is  now  at  an  end  for  the 
present;  we  have  reached  the  union  of  the  parent  streams  which 
join  to  form  the  infant  Aruwimi ;  the  Ituri  descending  in  a 
series  of  cataracts,  and  the  Ihuru  issuing  with  boisterous  velocity 
from  a  rocky  ravine.  Each  of  these  presents  a  comparatively 
narrow  bed,  and  is  far  too  violent  in  its  course  to  tempt  the 
confidence  of  the  oarsman. 

Oct.  G. — At  daybreak — as  soon  as  all  were  awake  and  stirring 
— a  shauri  was  held  between  Mr.  Stanley,  his  officers,  and  the 
chiefs  among  the  men,  (who  correspond  to  non-commissioned 
officers.)  The  result  of  the  conference  was  that  it  was  decided 
to  sink  all  tlio  canoes,  and  leave  behind  every  one  unable  to 
march.  Accordingly  fifty-two  sick  men,  with  Capt.  Nelson, 
who  was  also  an  invalid,  and  one  chief — IJmari — were  left 
behind.  Rashid  and  three  other  chiefs  were  sent  ahead,  to 
try  and  find  some  food  for  the  starving  men ;  while  Mr. 
Stanley,  at  the  head  of  the  remainder  of  the  column,  marched 
off — with  as  many  loads  as  our  enfeebled  men  could  carry^ 
including  the  boat.  The  remaining  loads,  eighty-one  m 
number,  were  left  behind  with  Nelson.  We  are  to  push  on^ 
as  fast  as  we  can,  to  reach  the  Arab  settlement,  which  we 
have  been  told  lies  before  us  ;  and  to  send  back  food  for  the 
relief  of  the  invalid  party  we  arc  leaving  behind,  as  soon  as- 


1887.]  ■    FROM   UGARROWWA'S   TO   IPOTO.  117 

we  reach  it.  The  boat  had  now  been  in  the  water  for  the 
past  ninety-two  days. 

The  road  which  I  had  prepared  yesterday  was  utilised  for 
the  march  out  of  camp ;  and  the  mingled  picture — of  scenic 
loveliness  and  ghastly  human  bereavement — which  lay  around 
us  as  we  prepared  to  move,  could  hardly  be  overdrawn  in  the 
wildest  flights  of  imagination.  The  continuous  melancholy 
moan  of  the  cataract  close  by,  made  the  picture  more  impres- 
sive ;  it  was  altogether  the  most  heartrending  good-bye  I  have 
ever  experienced  or  witnessed.  I  cannot  fancy  a  more  trying- 
position  than  that  of  abandoning,  in  this  wilderness  of  hunger 
and  desolation,  our  white  companion  and  so  many  faithful 
men ;  every  one  of  whom  has  risked  his  life  dozens  of  times  for 
the  relief  of  our  hypothetical  friend,  Emin  Pasha. 

And  so  we  turned  our  backs  on  our  jDoor  helpless  comrade, 
and  the  fifty-two  morbid  specimens  of  humanity  which  were 
strewn  around  him,  on  the  lone  sandy  terrace  formed  by  the 
southern  bank  of  the  Ituri.  The  surrounding  prospect  was 
limited  to  the  river  and  the  junction  of  its  two  formative 
tributaries,  shut  in  by  steep  and  woody  hills,  rising  from  the 
water's  edge  to  a  height  of  about  GOO  feet.  And  the  only 
sound  was  the  monotonous  roar  and  splash  of  the  cataracts  and 
rapids,  which  might  have  been  enjoyable  enough  in  another 
place,  and  under  more  favourable  circumstances. 

[This  is  "  Starvation  Camp  "  No.  I.] 

Oct.  7. — Mr.  Stanley  went  in  advance  to-day  ;  Stairs,  Jeph- 
son,  and  myself  formed  the  rear  guard  of  the  column.  The 
numbers  were  now  so  reduced,  that  we  three  were  the  only 
men  available  for  the  rear  guard,  and  it  was  a  continuous 
scene  of  pushing  the  men  along,  and  lifting  boxes  on  their 
heads.  We  did  not  reach  camp  for  the  night.  The  boat  was 
always  behind ;  being  caught  every  few  yards  in  the  vines  and 
bush,  as  the  pioneers  had  cut  but  an  imperfect  path  for  us. 

I  had  a  severe  feverish  attack  to-day,  so  I  did  little  except 
look  out  for  a  stray  shot,  which,  however,  I  did  not  succeed  in 
obtaining.  Mr.  Stanley  hit  an  elephant,  which  escaped  to  an 
island.  We  are  now  living  on  our  only  all,  viz.,  two  tea- 
spoonfuls  of  arrowroot  twice  a  day,  supplemented  by  fungoids 
and  amoma,  fruit,  etc. 

We  marched  about  eleven  miles  to-day. 

Oct.  8— We   started  at  day-break.      Jephson   and   Stairs 


118  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

bringing  up  the  rear.  I  walked  on  to  Mr.  Stanley,  who  had 
pitched  his  tent  opposite  to  an  uninhabited  island.  He  sent  me 
back  to  tell  Jephson  to  put  the  boat  in  the  water,  and  have  a 
look  out  for  the  Avounded  elephant.  The  animal,  however,  did 
not  come  within  sight.  Stairs  and  myself  went  off  for  a  shot,, 
but  got  nothing,  as  the  men  had  been  exploring  the  bush,  in 
the  search  for  forest  fruit,  and  frightened  away  the  game. 

I  had  another  attack  of  high  fever  to-day.  We  marched  but 
three  miles.  Some  of  our  men  found  a  little  corn  on  the  island,, 
some  of  which  was  distributed  to  the  whites  ;  our  share  was  twO' 
milk-tinsful  to  each.  Even  this  small  quantity  was  a  great 
boon  to  us  in  our  present  abandoned  condition.  I  could  attempt 
to  eat  very  little  of  my  portion,  as  my  fever  Avas  too  high.  My 
evil  star  must  be  in  the  ascendant  at  the  present  period  ;  I 
can  seldom  obtain  food,  and  when  I  do  I  am  unable  to  use  it. 

Oct.  9. — All  available  men  were  sent  across  the  river,  to  hunt 
through  the  forest  for  food.  I  proposed  to  Mr.  Stanley  to  kill 
the  donkeys,  but  he  said,  "  Wait."  The  foraging  party  was- 
under  the  guidance  of  a  native  woman.  Our  corn  was  finished 
to-day,  so  that  we  have  absolutely  nothing  to  live  on  now  but 
forest  fruits,  fungi  growing  on  decaying  trees,  and  leaves  of  the' 
pepper-plant.  AVe  are  all  of  us  now  learning  a  new  experience  ; 
we  have  not  had  such  a  time  before.  This  is  the  anniversary- 
of  Jephson's  birthday  ;  not  a  particularly  bright  one  for  him. 
One  old  native  woman  had  collected  large  brown  beans,, 
about  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter,  scraped  them,  and  made- 
the  scrapings  into  little  cakes,  which  she  toasted  and  ate.  We- 
followed  this  inspiring  example,  and  found  the  cakes  fairly 
good, — although  coarse,  and  horse-chestnutty  in  flavour.  The- 
beans  had  grown  on  a  large  forest  tree,  with  large  green  leaves,, 
and  of  a  height  of  150  to  200  feet.  " 

Oct.  10. — Things  look  blacker  now  than  ever,  as  the  party 
which  went  off  in  search  of  food  yesterday  have  not  yet  re- 
turned. We  have  tried  our  best  to  get  a  shot,  and  failed ; 
we  feel  quite  exhausted.  Stairs  tried  to  fish  to-day,  and 
succeeded  in  pulling  up  three  aquatic  specimens  looking 
somewliat  like  gudgeon.  Our  position  is  really  desperate  ; 
to  go  back  is  certain  starvation ;  to  go  forward  does  not  appear- 
very  much  more  encouraging. 

In  the  evening  a  few  men  crossed  in  a  canoe  to  an  island,  to- 
fetch  grass  for  the  donkeys  :  they  were  there  set  upon  by  some- 


1887.]  •     FBOM   UGAniiOWWA'S    TO   IPOTO.  119 

savages  who  lay  in  ambush,  and  my  best  and  faitliful  chief, 
Feriizi  Ali,  was  felled  to  the  ground  by  a  huge  knife  [which  I 
have  still  in  my  possession,  vide  No.  8  sketch,  page  182]  that 
penetrated  both  tables  of  the  skull  and  depressed  the  bone, 
causing  compression  of  the  brain.  His  shoulder  was  also  badly 
wounded. 

The  foraging  party  returned  in  the  evening,  with  but  very 
little  food,  and  great  quantities  of  bhang,  which  is  freely  smoked 
by  the  natives.     This  is  "  Starvation  Camp  "  No.  II. 

Oct.  11.— We  started  early;  Mr,  Stanley  was  in  advance, 
Jephson  and  Stairs  urging  on  the  men  in  the  rear.  All  loads 
were  carried,  as  twenty-four  men  were  now  relieved  from 
conveying  the  sections  of  the  Advance.  I  was  ordered  to  wait 
behind  in  camp  with  a  small  party  (till  12  o'clock),  so  as  to 
get  across  the  river,  by  canoe,  any  men  who  had  not  turned  up 
last  night,  and  might  still  overtake  us  in  time.  None,  how- 
ever, came ;  so  I  sank  the  canoe,,  and  hurried  after  the  column, 
which  I  overtook  at  5.30  p.m.  The  boat  went  by  the  river,  but 
Avas  greatly  delayed  by  cataracts.  Morabo  (of  Bumbire  noto- 
riety) captured  a  woman  with  beads  on,  which  she  had  got 
from  the  Arabs,  and  we  tried  to  get  some  information  from  her 
as  to  the  whereabouts  of  these  people.  The  natives,  however, 
haye,  unfortunately,  no  ideas  as  to  time  and  siicice  of  a  suffi- 
ciently definite  nature  to  make  their  opinions  on  such  matters 
in  the  smallest  degree  reliable.  So  we  could  not  ascertain 
how  far  off  the  much  wished-for  Arab  station  may  be.  They 
mark  off  distances  on  their  arms.  From  the  shoulder  to  the 
tips  of  their  fingers  means  one  day's  march. 

We  passed  a  camp  about  4  p.m.,  which  had  been  occupied  by 
the  chiefs  whom  we  had  sent  on  before  us  from  Nelson's  camp. 
At  muster,  in  the  evening,  four  men  were  absent.  One  of 
these,  Kehani,  has  my  bag  Avith  all  the  clothes  I  possess — also 
my  sword. 

"  When  evils  cume,  they  come  not  single  s^  ies. 
But  in  battaliuas." 

Oct.  12. — We  camped  last  night  on  the  river  bank.  Jephson 
Avas  sent  back  to  the  boat,  to  make  some  repairs,  and  bring  her 
on  through  the  rapids.  He  brought  ten  men  to  carry  up  loads, 
and  so  lighten  the  boat.  A  shauri  Avas  then  held,  in  which  all 
the  members  of  the  Expedition  Avho  Avere  present  took  part — 
both  black  and  Avliite. 


120  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.       [1887. 

We  left  camp  at  10.30  a.m.  I  was  in  charge  of  the  rear  guard, 
and  had  great  difficulty  in  starting  the  men  with  the  loads,  as 
they  slipped  away  in  all  directions,  looking  for  any  substitute 
for  food,  and  picking  up  any  fungus  or  fruit  that  might  present 
itself.  At  last,  we  did  manage  to  start ;  and  did  not  halt  for 
the  night  till  late  in  the  afternoon.  We  then  camped  opposite 
an  uninhabited  island.  Some  of  our  men  attempted  to  swim 
across  ;  and  Asmani,  of  Company  No.  1,  a  very  fine  fellow,  was 
drowned  in  the  attempt  to  secure  a  canoe. 

As  night  closed  in,  there  was  no  sign  of  Jephson,  boat,  or 
boxes. 

Oct.  13. — We  waited  all  day  for  Jephson,  who  did  not  arrive 
until  late  in  the  evening,  and  without  the  boat.  He  atoned, 
however,  for  the  delay  and  tanxiety  by  bringing  us  some  Indian 
corn,  which  was  certainly  the  means  of  saving  our  lives,  as  it 
furnished  material  for  a  few  tolerable  meals.  They  had  found 
two  rattan-cane  basketsful  on  an  island ;  one  of  these  had 
been  distributed  to  the  boat's  crew ;  the  second  was  preserved 
for  the  whites  (Mr.  Stanley,  Jephson,  Stairs,  myself  and 
William).  The  boat  had  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  up 
river  through  the  cataracts.  Stairs  went  for  a  shot  at  elephants, 
but  got  nothing.  Mr.  Stanley  spent  the  day  looking  out 
for  the  Advance.  I  remained  in  camp,  preparing  a  dinner — ■ 
<jf  forest  fruits,  fungi,  forest  beans,  and  the  leaves  and  green 
tops  of  the  pepper  plant.  Feruzi  Ali  is  in  great  danger  ;  the 
symptoms  of  compression  of  the  brain  have  fully  developed, 
and  in  an  extreme  degree.  He  is  quite  unconscious,  with  ster- 
torous breathing,  pupils  unequal  and  unaffected  by  light,  slight 
ptosis,  and  facial  paralysis.  I  am  greatly  distressed  about  him, 
as  he  was  one  of  tlie  most  faithful  men  I  had,  and  my  greatest 
friend  amongst  the  Zanzibaris.  I-f  he  only  had  two  forest 
fruits  he  would  give  me  one.  I  miss  my  clothes  very  much. 
I  am  now  left  with  two  pairs  of  stockiugs,  and  two  pairs  of  old 
boots.  One  pair  has  a  peculiar  iiistory,  as  they  belonged  to  a 
private  who  served  in  the  Camel  Corps  for  Gordon's  relief,  and 
whoso  leg  I  amputated  after  the  reconnoissance  on  IMetammeh, 
21st  January,  1885.  As  I  was  then  badly  off  for  boots,  I  ap- 
proi)riatcd  this  pair  of  ammunitions,  as  they  were  of  no  further 
use  to  the  soldier,  and  were  extremely  useful  for  the  return 
march  of  157  miles  across  the  Bayuda  Desert  to  the  Camp,  at 
Jvorti.     One  ragged   })air  of  knickerbockers,  two  shirts,  one 


1887.]  •    FROM   UGAUnOWWA'S    TO   IPOTO.  121 

blanket,  and  a  waterproof  slieet — all  the  rest  are  gone,  and 
Inhere  is  no  fig-tree  in  the  land !  As  I  pass  deeper  into  the 
[primeval  forest,  I  approach  the  Adamite  state  of  existence 
more  closely  ;  I  only  want  the  innocence,  and  the  happy  garden 
:stocked  with  all  good  things. 

Oct.  14, — The  boat  arrived  early.  Jephson  had  left  it  last 
evening  a  few  hundred  yards  down  river,  as  it  was  too  dark  to 
risk  piloting  in  through  these  troubled  waters.  Feruzi  Ali 
suffers  from  increasing  coma,  and  other  symptoms  of  compres- 
sion of  the  brain,  the  result  of  the  blow  received  from  the  knife 
of  the  native.  The  case  calls  for  immediate  operation ; 
but  I  have  no  trephining  instruments ;  and,  if  I  use  a  mallet 
and  chisel  with  unfavourable  results,  his  death  will  be  laid 
at  my  door  by  the  men.  He  cannot  last  long  if  the  pressure 
is  not  relieved. 

Jephson's  Indian  corn  is  keeping  us  on  our  legs  to-day.  AVe 
crossed  the  river  to  the  opposite  bank ;  it  is  about  100  yards 
wide  here.  We  blazed  the  trees,  and  put  on  broad  arrows  and 
finger-posts,  so  as  to  show  the  chiefs  and  others  where  we  had 
crossed.  We  also  inscribed  on  the  trees  the  fact  that  the 
Belief  Expedition  has  crossed  at  that  point — for  information 
of  rear  column. 

A.11  the  men  are  in  a  fainting  condition  for  want  of  food. 
We  are  certainly  passing  through  an  ordeal  of  terrible  tribula- 
tion. I  wonder  how  is  it  going  to  end ;  we  cannot  exist  long 
on  these  terms. 

Oct,  15. — A  very  long  shauri  took  place  to-day,  and  every 
one  had  an  opportunity  of  airing  his  opinions,  on  the  desira- 
bility of  going  ahead  or  returning.  Sinking  the  boat,  burying 
the  boxes,  &c.,  were  among  the  suggestions  made.  Finally, 
the  talking  ceased,  as  there  was  no  time  to  be  lost  in  debate, 
and  we  did  make  a  forward  start  along  the  river  bank.  We 
soon  got  up  a  rather  steep  hill,  reaching  a  table-land  above, 
where  we  had  better  marching  ground.  IMr.  Stanley  was  in 
front,   and  steered  (by  magnetic  compass)  N.N.E. 

After  some  hours,  we  met  the  party  Avhich  had  been  sent  out 
yesterday  with  Mbaruku,  "  the  kilongosi, "  or  guide.  We 
gladly  pushed  on  with  them,  and  followed  a  track ;  hoping 
soon  to  find  the  camp  of  the  Arab  ivory  hunters,  and  procure 
some  food. 
.  Mr.  Stanley  had  a  shot  at  an  elephant ;  some  of  our  men 


122  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.       [1887. 

climbed  the  trees  to  get  malnnga,  a  fruit  which  grows  on  the 
india-rubber  vine.  One  of  them  fell  from  a  branch,  on  top 
of  some  comrades,  who  were  waiting  below  with  their  mouths 
open ;  and  three  were  disahled  as  the  net  result  of  the  opera- 
tion. This  accident  taxed  our  resources  for  the  conveyance 
of  our  loads,  as  every  capable  man  had  a  load  given  him  in  the 
morning. 

We  are  all  exhausted  now,  and  our  men  are  in  a  desperate 
way.  Mr.  Stanley  shot  his  donkey,  and  gave  a  1  lb.  ration  of 
flesh  to  each  man.  Marazuki,  our  old  cook,  stole  the  kidneys 
while  carrying  the  meat  to  my  tent  for  safety.  The  men  were 
ravenous,  and  struggled  like  j)ariah  dogs  for  the  blood,  hide,, 
and  hoofs.  The  tongue  is,  undoubtedly,  the  best  part — if  well 
hraized.  It  is  pitiful  and  painful,  to  the  last  degree,  to  see 
all  the  other  appetites  and  passions  completely  merged  in  the 
over^^heln^ing  one  of  hunger.  Hardly  a  trace  of  any  other 
idea  seemed  to  exist  in  the  minds  of  our  starving  men  to- 
day, than  that  of  the  mechanical  introduction  of  food  into- 
the  stomach.  Poor  creatures  !  they  have  really  borne  tlieir 
privations  with  wonderful  patience.  I  often  wonder  they- 
have  not  done  something  desperate. 

Oct.  16. — We  ate  most  of  our  donkey  meat,  and  marched 
early ;  but  there  were  not  enough  men  to  carry  the  loads,  as- 
the  poor  creatures  were  dying  along  the  road,  and  we  had  to 
leave  them,  taking  their  rifles  with  us.  Forest  fruits  are  but 
poor  feeding  at  best ;  we  now  make  a  sort  of  porridge  from 
the  scrapings  of  the  beans.  Our  philanthropic  pilgrimage  for 
the  relief  of  Emin  Pasha  is  certainly  being  carried  out  with 
many  of  the  outward  and  visible  signs  of  an  inward  and 
spiritual  self-denial,  which  cannot,  I  venture  to  think,  be  very 
far  surpassed  in  history.  I  wonder- whether  the  Crusaders  of 
old  had  so  rough  a  time  of  it  ? 

Oct.  17. — We  started  very  early.  Had  very  great  trouble- 
in  getting  the  men  off,  as  the  depressed  creatures  could" 
muster  up  no  energy,  and  they  lagged  behind  very  much. 
Stairs,  Jephson,  and  myself  were  practically  doing  rear  guard, 
which  means  raising  boxes  on  men's  heads,  waiting  for  men  to 
come  from  the  bush  to  take  up  their  loads,  and  taking  precau- 
tions that  when  a  man  was  left  behind  on  the  road  from 
inability  to  march  further,  his  rifle  and  load  were  carried  to- 
camp. 


1887.]  •     FROM    UGABROWWA'S    TO   IPOTO.  123"- 

At  about  9  A.M.  the  column  passed  close  to  a  nest  of 
hornets,  the  inhabitants  of  which  stung  our  poor  naked  carriers 
so  viciously  that  there  was  a  regular  stampede  of  howling 
Avretches  into  the  bush.  Loads,  rifles,  &c.,  were  thrown  away,. 
as  they  tried  to  escape  from  the  venomous  pests  ;  and,  of 
course,  great  confusion  prevailed  for  some  time.  We  were 
obliged  to  wait  quietly  for  about  three  hours,  till  the  hornets 
had  thought  proper  to  retire ;  we  then  were  able  to  recover 
the  loads.  About  4  p.m.  there  was  a  very  heavy  fall  of  rain. 
This  caused  another  serious  block,  as  the  wretched  men  made 
off'  for  shelter  into  the  holes  in  the  trunks  of  decayed  trees. 

We  did  not  reach  camp  until  late.  Jephson  has  high  fever. 
Owiug  to  the  wet  we  were  unable  to  light  fires  to  cook  our- 
beans.  We  are  now  able  to  make  ourselves  understood  in 
Kiswahili ;  but  we  never  have  had  time  to  read  Bishop  Steer's- 
grammar  and  exercises  on  the  language. 

Oct.  is. — I  spent  a  wretched  night,  as  some  of  my  corn  had 
been  stolen,  and  I  remained  awake  in  my  anxiety  to  find  the 
thief.  I  knew  I  should  certainly  hear  it  crackling  while  being 
toasted  (or  "  popped ")  on  the  fire.  This  I  accordingly  did 
hear,  in  the  early-morning ;  and,  making  for  the  fire  with, 
greedy  haste,  I  discovered  that  the  culprit  was  my  own  boy. 
AChat  a  powerful  motor  in  human  action  is  the  instinct  of  self- 
preservation  !  I  gave  my  faithful  Achates  "  twenty-four  "  for 
this  work  of  supererogation.  Alas,  we  are  obliged  to  "  do^ 
sentry  "  over  our  own  food  in  these  days  of  tribulation  !  We 
ate  quantities  of  '■'  forced  march  tabloids,"  but  derived  no^ 
benefit  therefrom.  We  still  have  a  little  stock  of  brandy,, 
which  we  gradually  help  ourselves  to  during  these  days,  and 
it  certainly  has  proved  beneficial. 

One  hour  after  starting  on  the  march,  we  heard  reports  of 
guns  in  the  distance,  ahead  of  us.  These  we  gladly  answered.. 
We  felt  certain  now  that  the  Arabs  were  near,  and,  with  newly 
inspired  vigour,  we  pushed  on  to  the  brow  of  the  hill,  at  which 
we  came  upon  a  very  large  clearing,  every  inch  of  which  was- 
planted  with  Indian  corn  and  rice,  and  at  the  opposite  border 
of  which  we  sighted  the  longed-for  xirab  village — about  half  a 
mile  off.  As  we  advanced,  we  saw  the  Arab  sentries — posted 
at  intervals  to  prevent  our  men  from  helping  themselves. 

On  arriving  at  the  village,  we  found  that  it  consisted  of 
about  150  huts,  of  quadrangular  outline,  and  roofs  of  consider- 


124  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.       [1887. 

able  slope.  The  inhabitants  amount  to  about  500.  We  were 
well  received  by  the  chiefs,  who  are  three  in  number,  Ismailia, 
Khamisi,  and  Sangarameni.  They  are  all  Muniapara  (head 
men)  to  Abed  Bin  Salim.  They  presented  us  with  three 
goats ;  also  gave  twenty-seven  heads  of  corn  to  each  white 
man,  and  four  to  each  of  the  others.  Mr.  Stanley  and  his 
officers  got  huts  to  live  in.  The  people  are  all  Manyuema, 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  native  captives.  The  name  of 
the  place  is  Ipoto. 


(     123     ) 


CHAPTEK  YII. 

EXPEEIENCES   WITH   THE   MANYUEMA   AT   IPOTO. 

We  purchase  food  from  the  Arabs — Our  men  tormented  by  ticks — Vermhi  in- 
the  village  huts — Punishment  of  Zanzibaris  for  stealing  and  breach  of 
discipline — Uledi  arrives  with  the  Advance — Mr,  Stanley  makes  arrange- 
ments for  Captain  Nelson's  relief — Our  future  plans — Tiie  ivory  hunters 
— Jephson  and  carriers  start  for  Nelson's  camp,  while  Stanley  continues- 
the  march  to  Lake  Albert — I  am  left  at  Ipoto  with  twenty-eight 
starved  Zanzibaris — Letter  regarding  some  deserters — My  orders  fron* 
Mr.  Stanley — A  welcome  goat — Covetousness  of  the  Manyuema — My 
occupation  of  repairing  rifles — Jephson  and  Nelson  arrive  in  camp — 
Nelson  a  living  skeleton — We  fail  to  obtain  food  from  the  wretched 
Arabs — Jephson  decides  to  follow  after  Stanley — I  write  a  letter  to  our 
leader  explaining  my  position  at  Ijioto — Atteraj^ts  to  steal  our  goods— 
My  hut  is  fired  by  the  Arabs- — Ismailia's  pretended  innocence  about  the 
fire — Further  desertions  and  losses  of  rifles — Return  of  Chief  Sangarameni 
from  a  raiding  excursion — Our  various  methods  of  obtaining  food — 
Visit  to  Sangarameni — Mohammedan  customs — Chief  Khamisi  returns 
from  a  raiding  expedition — -We  pay  an  official  visit  to  the  chiefs ;  Mr. 
Stanley's  agreement  with  them  regarding  lood  not  carried  out — Ivory 
and  slave  trade  in  Africa — Pest  of  disasreeable  insects — Illness  of  Chief 
Khamisi — Starvation  among  our  men — We  are  refused  ground  for  planting; 
corn  and  beans — Chief  Ismailia  returns  with  his  banditti — My  field 
glasses  are  exchanged  for  food — Attempted  theft  of  a  box  of  ammunition 
— The  chiefs  still  starve  us — -Nelson's  shocking  condition — Ismailia 
accepts  my  suggestion  that  we  should  all  be  "  friends." 

Oct.  19. — Yesterday  we  had  a  good  rest  after  arriving  here, 
and  treated  our  poor  empty  stomachs  to  such  overpowering- 
meals  of  Indian  corn  and  goats'  flesh  that  they  soon  were 
disposed  to  rebel.  We  purchased  fowls  and  beans  for  some  of 
the  little  commodities  of  our  stores,  such  as  needles,  cam- 
phorated chalk,  &c.,  &c.  After  a  huge  meal  of  beans  one  felt 
like  a  balloon  ;  the  distension  was  indescribable,  and  forcibly 
recalled  Mark  Twain's  condition,  when  he  felt  that  he  could 
use  no  garment  but  his  umbrella. 

The  Arabs  gladly  brought  quantities  of  corn,  &c.,  to  be 
exchanged  for  clothes ;  but  as  I  possessed  none  of  the  latter 
commodity,  I  was  obliged  to  sponge  on  the  others.     In  the 


12G  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATOIilAL   AFRICA.       [1887. 

evening  Mr.  Stanley  told  Jephson  that  he  was  to  g-o  back  for 
Nelson  and  the  eighty-one  loads,  and  bring  them  up  to  us. 
The  boat  is  then  to  be  taken  in  pieces,  and  left  here  with 
the  loads ;  Nelson  and  Jephson  are  also  to  stay  here  while  we 
go  on  to  Emin. 

Our  leader  had  a  long  talk  witli  ns  last  evening  on  the 
■subject  of  our  tribulations  of  the  last  three  weeks. 

Oct.  20. — To-day  the  men  of  our  Expedition  had  four  heads 
•of  corn  served  out  to  each.  AVe  whites  got  twelve  each.  The 
-Arabs  keep  a  close  watch  on  the  corn,  and,  as  the  Zanzibaris 
are  great  thieves,  a  row  may  arise  at  any  moment. 

After  o-etting  out  of  bed  this  morning,  the  first  case  I  saw- 
was  Mufti  Mzinga,  with  a  spear  wound  in  his  back,  three 
inches  in  length  and  penetrating  into  the  substance  of  the 
luno-;  many  other  wounds,  less  severe  in  tlieir  nature,  had 
.also  been  inflicted  by  the  merciless  Manyuema.  AVe  did 
•nothing  all  day  but  rest  and  eat. 

The  men  are  greatly  tormented  by  ticks,  which  stick  in  the 
■nostrils,  and  hold  on  to  the  mucous  membrane  with  great 
tenacity.  This  morning  I  found  one  in  my  own  nostril;  it 
was  just  like  a  sheep-tick  in  outline.  These  nasty  things 
■  cause  very  great  annoyance.  There  are  also  minute  crab-like 
ticks  which  bury  themselves  in  the  skin. 

The  huts  are  crawling  with  body  vermin.  The  rats  are  in 
corresponding  abundance ;  they  run  over  us  at  night  in  the 
most  familiar  and  playful  fashion.  Vermin  of  all  kinds,  large 
.and  small,  appear  to  multiply  with  the  greatest  rapidity  here. 
Historians  are,  if  I  rightly  remember,  pretty  well  agreed  that 
Sylla  was  one  of  the  most  fortunate,  and,  accordingly,  one  of 
the  most  enviable,  of  human  beings  ;  but  if  the  concluding  j^art 
of  tlieir  narrative  be  true — that  he  died  a  victim  of  morbus 
2)ediculosus—l,  iov  my  part,  will  never  again  ieel  disposed  to 
complain,  because  he  received  more  than  his  share  of  sublunar 
pros})ority. 

Oct.  21. — This  is  the  morning  on  which  Jephson  was  to  liave 
returned  with  food  for  Nelson  and  the  members  of  his  invalid 
•  camp.  It  was  found  necessary,  however,  to  hold  a  prolonged 
shauri  before  taking  any  further  steps.  All  th(!  men  were  fallen 
into  their  places,  and  many  were  tied  up  for  important  breach  of 
discipline,  especially  selling  or  losing  their  rifles  ;  others  were 
reprimanded  for  minor  offences.     These  legislative  procedures 


1887.]  EXPEniENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPO  TO.    127 

kept  us  so  busy  (for  the  wreck  of  the  Expedition  was  imminent 
■owing  to  the  autocratic  attitude  of  the  Manyuema  chiefs,  and 
the  helpless  condition  of  our  men  who  surrendered  and 
plundered  everything  for  food)  that  no  relief  party  could  be 
•sent.  Later  on  in  the  day,  one  of  our  cooks  was  hanged  for 
selling  his  rifle,  so  I  was  obliged  to  cook  the  dinner,  as  I  am 
mess-president  for  this  month.  I  gave  them  beans,  which  I 
find  very  filling  at  the  price. 

Mr.  Stanley  always  has  his  meals  separately,  and  we  will 
adopt  this  plan  in  future,  as  it  is  much  the  best.  A  Zanzibari 
•chief  was  brought  up  for  condign  punishment,  and  a  knife 
was  ostentatiously  sharpened  to  terrify  him  to  reveal  his 
accomplices,  when,  to  our  surprise,  he  converted  the  apparently 
solemn  scene  into  a  farce,  by  falling  fast  asleep  in  presence  of 
•all.  Even  if  punishment  had  been  seriously  intended,  it 
would  have  been  rather  hard  to  carry  it  out  under  these 
circumstances 

Oct.  22. — No  chance  of  a  relief  party  going  to  Nelson,  as  we 
are  so  completely  in  the  hands  of  those  relentless  Manyuema. 
We  feel  very  much  for  the  poor  fellow  in  his  dreadful  position  ; 
our  own  more  immediate  wants  having  now  been  relieved. 
Many  men  Avere  punished  for  stealing,  and  other  crimes,  and 
breaches  of  discipline.  Eashid,  and  the  four  Muniapara, 
arrived  to-day,  looking  like  skeletons ;  they  had  travelled  for 
many  miles  along  the  river,  but  had  seen  no  food,  and  had 
almost  perished.  Uledi  and  some  of  the  boatmen  also  came 
into  camp,  having  followed  up  the  river  (from  the  crossing)  in 
the  Advance;  they  report  the  existence  of  a  large  cataract 
higher  up  on  the  river.  I  sold  my  scarlet  mess-jacket  and 
waistcoat  which  I  brought  to  wear  on  state  occasions — value 
(originally)  about  £7 — for  fifty-six  heads  of  Indian  corn,  and 
a  chicken,  with  a  little  honey.  Accordingly  I  have  now  no 
■clothes  left  but  what  I  stand  in.  Stairs  and  Jephson  have 
still  some  things  left  to  sell.  We  had  the  last  of  our  goat- 
flesh  at  luncheon  :  then  used  my  chicken  and  one  of  Jephson's 
for  dinner.  The  only  food  we  have  left  from  the  Expedition 
store  is  tea. 

Oct.  23. — Mr.  Stanley  was  not  well  yesterday,  nor  to-day. 
The  floor  of  his  hut  was  quite  damp  and  soft ;  so  I  recommended 
him  to  leave  it,  and  live  under  his  tent.  He  consented ;  so 
his  tent  was  pitched,  and  he  moved  in.      He  told  me  that  he 


128  EXFEBIENCES   IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFIilCA.        [1887.. 

liad  arranged  with  the  Arabs  to  have  an  Expedition  sent  back 
for  the  relief  of  Nelson ;  and  to  bring  him,  with  his  men  and 
boxes,  up  to  the  camp.  I  asked  him  for  food,  as  we  have  had 
but  117  heads  of  Indian  corn  amongst  three  of  us  since  the 
18th  inst.,  together  with  a  chicken  or  two.  He  asked  me  in 
return  if  I  had  nothing  to  sell  for  food :  this  sank  my  spirits 
a  little,  as  we  were,  according  to  our  contract,  to  have  our  food 
provided  by  the  Expedition.  But  there  is,  I  fear,  no  appeal 
from  the  pressure  of  circumstances ;  our  leader  is  obliged  to 
yield  to  them  as  well  as  the  rest  of  us,  and  there  does  nut 
appear  to  be  much  to  hope  for  from  the  generosity  of  ous 
newly-made  Manyuema  acquaintances. 

Oct.  24. — Nothing  particular  was  done  during  the  day.  In 
the  evening,  Mr.  Stanley  called  the  three  of  us  white  officers, 
into  his  tent,  and  said  that  I  am  to  remain  here  to  look  after 
Nelson,  with  the  men  and  baggage ;  and  that  Jephson,  on  his 
return  from  the  relief  of  Nelson,  should  follow  him  with  all 
available  men.  I  asked  him  when  I  should  be  relieved.  He 
said  three  months  hence  ;  that  I  should  be  brought  away 
with  Nelson.  Practically,  we  Avill  both  be  prisoners  here,  until 
redeemed  by  payment  of  cloth  which  is  to  be  brought  on  by 
the  rear  column,  and  now  due  for  corn,  &c.,  which  the  meu 
have  had.  According  to  my  calculation,  this  payment  Avill 
be  in  nine  months  at  the  earliest.  I  asked  to  get  the  chiefs  to- 
agree,  if  possible,  in  writing,  that  we  should  be  fed.  He 
replied  that  he  had  done  so,  and  made  arrangements  to  this- 
purpose,  but  that  we  should  probably  get  little  or  no  meat.. 
So  that  we  have  no  prospect  before  us  here  but  an  indefinite 
period  of  vegetarian  existence,  and  that  limited  by  any  terms- 
which  our  Manyuema  patrons  may  choose  to  impose. 

Oct.  25. — These  IManyuema  ivory  hunters  are  of  the  very 
lowest  class;  they  are  slaves  to  slaves  of  the  Arabs,  and  live 
like  pigs.  Everywhere,  all  around  the  village,  the  ground  is 
covered  with  filth.  Men  and  women  squat  down  together 
— within  a  few  yards  of  their  dwellings. 

Mr.  Stanley  has  made  the  written  agreement  between  him- 
self and  these  people,  that  ourselves  and  our  men  shall  be 
provisioned  during  our  stay ;  but  I  feel  that  we  are  simply 
hostages  to  these  barbarians  until  the  cloth  arrives  with  the 
rear  column  to  pay,  and  I  think  it  more  than  likely  that  I 
will  be  alone,  as  Nelson  may  have  died  or  gone  down  river,. 


1887.]  EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPOTO.    129 

ill  a  canoe,  as  there  was  no  food  wliere  he  was  left.  The  out- 
look for  me  is,  assuredly,  not  a  very  bright  one  ! 

Oct.  26. — Owing  to  a  breach  of  promise,  the  Manyuema 
■could  only  supply  thirty  carriers  to  return  with  Jephson  for 
the  loads  at  Nelson's  camp.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Stanley  was 
•obliged  to  send  back  forty  Zanzibaris,  each  of  whom  is  to 
receive  a  gratuity.  Jephson  left  with  the  party  aljout  mid-day. 
I  accompanied  him  for  about  two-and-a-half  miles,  and  then 
returned  to  the  village. 

Oct.  27. — Mr.  Stanley  marched  away  this  morning  with 
147  men ;  almost  all  of  these  were  loaded.  They  were  very 
reluctant  about  going  to  face  the  forest  again,  although  they 
have  had  very  little  food  since  our  arrival  here  on  the  18th 
inst.,  and  had  little  to  start  with.  Even  Stanley  and  Stairs  did 
not  have  many  heads  of  corn  to  start  on,  although  they  will  be 
at  least  seven  or  eight  days  in  the  forest  without  food,  except 
chance  food  or  fungi.  Stairs,  however,  by  selling  his  clothes, 
provided  himself  with  a  few  chickens  and  some  corn.  Mr. 
Stanley  has  provided  himself  and  the  men  with  some  neces- 
saries, by  selling  his  revolver  cartridges. 

I  am  now  left  here  with  twenty-nine  starved  Zanzibaris — 
one  or  two  only  are  really  sick^till  I  am  ransomed  by  the 
•arrival  of  cloth  to  pay  for  the  food  that  the  column  has  used. 
I  have  in  my  charge  the  boat,  the  rifles,  boxes  of  ammunition, 
and  other  loads.  Last  night,  in  his  tent,  Mr.  Stanley  in  my 
presence,  gave  Ismailia  a  gold  watch  and  chain,  as  a  jDledge 
for  the  payment  of  some  guides  whom  he  was  taking  with  him 
for  a  few  days.  [This  watch  (with  chain)  was  redeemed  eight 
months  afterwards — when  surrendering  it,  the  chief  declared 
that  it  had  died — and  kindly  presented  to  me  by  Mr.  Stanley, 
on  our  return  to  England,  with  the  following  inscription  : 
■"  To  Surgeon  T.  H.  Parke,  as  a  souvenir  of  Fort  Bodo  and 
Ipoto,  1887  and  1888,  from  his  friend  Henry  M.  Stanley."] 

Oct.  28. — A  dismal  prospect  this  morning.  Here  I  am  all 
alone  at  the  mercy  of  these  savages ;  my  twenty-nine  men  lying 
all  about  everywhere — bags  of  bones  as  they  all  are !  They 
are  the  most  sickening  sights  1  have  ever  seen  ;  poor  creatures 
hardly  able  to  crawl.  Our  leader  certainly  seems  rather  hard  ; 
still,  I  must  confess  that  I  do  not  see  how  else  he  could  have 
dealt  with  these  barbarous  people — how  he  has  made  two  ends 
meet   is  a  mystery.      He  is  different  from  any  other  man. 

K 


130  EXPEBIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.       [1887. 

There  is  no  change  in  his  expression  or  behaviour ;  he  will 
never  be  found  to  sacrifice  all  in  attempting  to  save  one. 
His  policy  rather  is  to  sacrifice  one  and  save  the  remainder. 

Last  evening,  IMuni  Penibi  came  back — with  a  letter  from 
Stairs,  asking  me  to  send  him  on  three  blocks  for  the  Remington 
rifles,  which  I  did.     This  morning,  I  received  the  following  : — 

"  My  deau  Doctor, 

"I  shall  not  be  happy  until  I  am  well  clear  (if  these  Manyuema.. 
Hateb  Wadi  Balyuzi  escaped  yesterday  intu  the  bush  with  a  box  of  amnnmi- 
tiou.  Saadi  deserted  also,  but  left  his  box.  Both  men  have  taken  their 
rifles.  Go  to  my  friend  Bwana  Ismailia;  urge  liirn  strongly  to  catch  them 
l)oth,  and  sivc  them  to  Massoudi  and  his  men.  If  you  cannot  catch  them  in 
time  for  IMassoudi,  keep  them  until  Jephson  comes.  Hand  them  ov-er  to  him 
with  a  strong;  caution  that  Saadi  lias  escaped  twice  now  from  his  captors. 
Give  Massoudi  a  box  of  Eemingtons  to  bring  to  me  if  Hateb  Wadi  Balyuzrk 
box  does  not  turn  up. 

"  Good  bye,  dear  Doctur, 

"  Yours  faithfully, 

"  H.  M.  Staxlev.    ' 
"Di!.  I'arkk, 

"  Oct.  27th:' 

Immediately,  on  receipt  of  this  letter,  I  asked  the  chiefs 
Khamisi  and  Ismailia,  to  send  out  a  party  and  find  the 
deserters.  They  did  so ;  but  the  search  was  fruitless.  Khamis 
Pari  returned  (sick)  with  a  letter  from  Stairs.  He  will  pro- 
ceed with  Jephson.  Poor  Uledi  had  all  his  clothes  stolen  last 
night,  barring  a  square  foot  of  bark  cloth.  Fortunately,  he 
still  has  his  rifle.  I  have  received  but  nine  heads  of  corn  as. 
yet.  Before  Mr.  Stanley  left  he  gave  me  the  following 
orders  : — 

"  Arab  village,  Oct.  2Wi,  1887. 
"  My  ueau  Doctor  Parke, 

"  I  am  so  reduced  in  numbers  now,  that  I  have  not  men  sufticient  tO' 
carry  what  is  indispensable  I  should  do  to.  appear  before  Emin  Pasha  with 
any  aiiijcarance  of  success.  This  morning  it  came  near  being  a  question 
whether  I  coidd  take  one  officer  with  me,  for  the  volunteers  number  only 
103.  Fortunately,  the  Arabs  here  were  persuaded  to  use  forceful  words  and 
menaces  to  the  lazy  loons  w^ho  prefer  living  on  two  ears  of  corn  daily  thali 
walk  for  wages  with  me  to  the  lake,  which  gave  me  43  indifferent  men  more. 
Thcrelore,  f  see  my  way  to  take  Lieut.  Stairs  along,  also  Mr.  Jephson,  on 
condition  they  reduce  their  baggage.  They  have  two  boys  each,  and  each 
boy  is  callable  on  emergency,  which  may  come  yet,  to  carry  a  load.  The  two 
ollicers  must  have  one  small  medicine  chest,  which  I  trust  you  will  pack  up 
wath  what  is  requisite,  say  for  three  months.  They  must  have  25  lbs.  of 
bedding,  and  2')  lbs.  weight  of  clothing  each,  and  one  box  of  European  provi- 
sions bctwdii  tlnm.  There  are  four  loads  already.  I  take  the  large  tent 
with  me,  whidi  will  house  us  all.  It  makes  seven  loads.  Were  I  alone,  I 
should  take  a  Miiall  tent  (three  loads),  and  leave  the  large  tent  behind.     This 


1887.']  EXPEBIENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPO  TO.    131 

iiives  me  eight  lends  to  carry  for  the  sake  of  the  two  officers.  I  have  been  in 
the  habit  of  taking  20  per  ct-nt.  of  the  entire  force  as  su[)einumerary.  i  now 
take  50  per  cent,  to  save  loss  of  goods  on  the  road.  The  condition  of  the  people 
compels  this  as  I  have  only  14-i  carriers.  I  dare  take  only  72  londs,  40  ot' 
which  must  be  Beminytons.  Now  if  you  compute  tent,  Winciiesters,  brass 
rods,  medicine  chests,  chronometers,  instruments,  officers'  baggage,  &c.,  you 
will  see  how  hard  driveir  we  are. 

"  We  have  a  great  number  of  people  yet,  but  they  are  scattered  aloiig.  the 
long  track.  Total  No.  54G.  Therefore,  it  is  necessary  that  you  sliould  stay 
at  this  place,  and  look  after  the  sick  and  assist  Capt.  Nelson  in  keeping  ou 
friendly  terms  our  men  and  the  Arab  men.  You  should  keep  all  rities  and 
baggage  under  your  own  roof.  You  mnst  beware  of  lire,  and  to  keep  it  at  a 
safe  distance  from  you  (on  account  of  the  ammunition),  I  w(juld  advise 
setting  up  a  tent,  at  least  20  yards  from  the  nearest  house,  build  a  fence  all 
round  it,  say  15  feet  away,  in  which  store  rifles  and  ammunition  iiic(4y. 
'I'he  ammunition  boxes  should  be  so  laid  as  to  make  a  comfortable  bedstead,. 
but  wood  should  be  evenly  laid  under  the  boxes,  so  as  to  preserve  them  from 
rot.  One  officer  should  sleep  in  tent.  It  may  be  I  shall  semi  a  caravan  for 
your  goods  if  I  can  have  aid  of  any  carriers  from  Emin  l\isha.  If  so,  thea 
one  of  you  two  officers  should  accompany  the  column.  If  I  brin^,  the 
caravan,  both  of  you  may  be  able  to  go  and  stay  with  Emin  Pasha.  l'>ut  by 
letter  or  personally,  I  can  explain  this  better  later.  The  boat,  I  am  sorry 
to  say,  must  be  left  here.  Please  have  the  sections  carefully  stored  in  the 
court  around  the  tent,  so  bolts  may  not  be  stolen.  The  rubber  should  be 
boxed  or  put  in  the  hut  under  shade.  This  is  all  I  can  think  of  at  preseat, 
excejit  about  the  medicine.  A  lew  bandages  should  be  sent  with  the  officers 
— quininCj  Dover's  powder,  tablets  of  lead  and  opium,  and  such  things  made 
into  a  light  compact  load  ;  and,  I  might  mention  a  tooth  extractor,  some 
needles  and  thread  for  sewing  wounds.  Good-bye,  take  care  of  yourself,  and 
Nelson,  and  our  sick  people.  Keep  by  all  means  on  good  terms  with,  the 
Arabs,  and  it  is  most  likely  that  we  may  all  meet  within  a  few  months. 

"Yours  faithfully, 

"Henry  M.  Stanley. 
*'  To  Doctor  Parki:,  &c." 

Oct.  29. — The  Manyuema  men  from  the  Lencla  leXt  here 
to-day,  ^vhich  is  a  curious  coincidence  in  connection  with  the 
directions.  I  overhauled  the  forty-seven  rifles  left  with  me 
here,  and  found  but  twelve  in  good  order ;  the  remainder  are 
unserviceable,  but,  as  I  have  the  blocks,  I  can  mend  some  of 
them.  I  sent  Uledi  to  cut  a  track  to  carry  the  boat  up  fromi 
the  river.  I  got  a  goat  by  a  lucky  mistake  ;.  a  boy  came  and 
cut  its  throat  opposite  my  door,  which  is,  I  believe,  the 
custom.  I  thought  it  was  intended  as  a  present,  and  thanked 
the  boy,  who,  immediately  went  off  and  told  the  chief  (Khamisi) 
that  I  had  taken  his  goat.  However,  the  chief  arranged  it,  as. 
I  had  nothing  to  purchase  it  with.  I  afterwards  found  out 
that  it  was  really  a  diseased  goat  which  had  been  dying,  and 
they  wanted  to  get  something  out  of  me  for  it.  Uledi  has  got 
leave  from  me  to  go  off  for  two  days,  in  search  of  food,  with  one 

K  2 


132  EXPEIUENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

of  the  Manyuema  chiefs  (Khamisi).  They  are  proceeding- 
tov/ards  the  Ituri.  I  gave  soup,  made  from  the  flesh  of  the 
above-mentioned  goat,  to  all  the  sick  men,  and  also  a  share  to 
many  of  the  healthy.  These  ]\Ianyiiema  are  most  objectionable 
neighbours ;  they  covet  everything  they  see.  They  siij^ply  no 
food,  and  are  disgustingly  filthy  in  their  habits. 

Oct.  30. — I  am  my  own  butcher,  as  my  boys  are  all  sick ; 
so  I  skinned  the  goat,  and  sun-dried  some  strips  of  meat,  which 
will  come  in  useful  bye-and-bye.  The  chiefs  pay  me  a  visit 
every  morning,  and  want  me  to  give  them  everything  they  see. 
Covetousness  and  procrastination  seem  to  be  their  great 
characteristics. 

Oct.  31. — This  morning,  after  some  persuasion,  I  got 
Ismailia  to  come  round  and  agree  to  give  me  a  better  hut ; 
also  a  site  for  the  tent  in  which  I  am  to  stow  the  ammunition 
for  fear  of  fire.  Every  hut  I  fancied  was  not  theirs  !  However, 
tliere  is  one  which  belongs  to  Khamisi,  who  is  away,  and  which 
I  hope  I  shall  get.  The  chiefs  say  that  they  feed  us  all,  that 
they  get  nothing  in  return,  and  that  now  I  want  a  hut ;  so  I 
see  a  storm  brewing.  I  am  in  an  exceedingly  awkward  position, 
as  I  do  not  speak  their  language,  and  they  do  not  speak  mine. 

Nov.  1. — I  Avas  called  away  yesterday,  to  see  a  child  which 
had  fallen  from  a  tree,  broken  its  arm,  and  sustained  other 
severe  injuries.  I  said  it  would  die  ;  it  fulfilled  my  prognosis, 
for  it  was  dead  at  5  p.m.  On  the  way  to  see  it  a  much  more 
serious  accident  occurred  to  myself ;  I  tore  my  only  pyjamas. 
Now  I  am  left  with  one  old  ragged  pair  of  knickerbockers, 
which  I  wore  up  the  Nile,  and  across  the  Bayuda  Desert ! 

I  noticed  this  morning  that  one  of  the  Manyuema  men  wore 
one  of  Emin  Pasha's  coats  with  Egyptian  buttons  (crescent 
and  star).  I  asked  him  where  he, had  got  it,  and  he  replied 
from  one  of  the  Nubians,  evidently  stolen  from  one  of  Emin's 
bales  which  we  are  carrying. 

I  have  now  repaired  nearly  all  the  rifles  with  my  owli 
hands.  I  feel  that  I  am  becoming  quite  a  skilled  mechanic, 
and  the  occupation  has  the  personal  advantage  to  me  of 
keeping  me  from  brooding  over  present  ills. 

Nov.  2. — Three  Manyuema  men,  of  Jcphson's  party,  arrived 
last  night  in  the  camp ;  and  brought  the  welcome  ne\AS  that 
Nelson  was  alive ;  but  of  the  fifty-two  living  skeletons  left 
with   him,   but   five   now  remain,   and  two  of  these  were  in 


18S-. 1  EXPErilEKCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IFOTO.    Vo.% 

such  an  utterly  hopeless  state  that  they  were  left  behind. 
These  men  had  left  their  loads  at  the  river,  three-and-a-half 
hours  off;  they  were  too  tired  to  bring  them  up  to  the  camp. 
Many  more  men  arrived  to-day,  including  some  of  our  own 
men,  who  report  Nelson  alive  and  a  skeleton  ;  that  many  of 
his  men  deserted,  but  his  three  boys  and  one  man  have  clung 
to  him  throughout.     Poor  fellow,  he  stuck  well  to  his  post ! 

I  have  finished  what  provisions  I  had,  and  sent  for  more ; 
but  the  chief  would  not  give  me  more  than  one  head  of  Indian 
corn  for  dinner.  Later  on,  Ismailia  sent  me  a  cupful  of  sour 
Indian  meal.  Ismailia  handed  over  to  me  all  the  loads  carried 
by  his  men  from  Nelson's  place  ;  these  are  twenty-four  in 
number. 

Nov.  3. — Jephson  arrived  this  morning ;  also  a  number  of 
men  with  their  loads,  but  he  was  without  his  best  chief, 
Kagib,  who  got  lost  in  the  forest  looking  for  fungi.  Nelson 
followed  on  foot.  Jephson  describes  Nelson's  camp  as  strewn 
Avith  dead  men.  Thirty  of  the  number  left  had  deserted 
and  gone  down  river ;  and  nothing  was  left  to  break  the 
melancholy  stillness  of  the  place  but  the  feeble  groans  of 
three  dying  men.  One  man  was  found  sitting  at  a  fire, 
and  two  boys  sat  close  by  Nelson.  Everything  was  sad  and 
silent.  The  Indian  corn,  rice,  and  fowls  which  Mr.  Stanley 
had  sent  to  Nelson  were  cooked  without  delay,  and  the  loads 
prepared  for  the  return  journey  on  next  morning. 

Poor  fellow  !  he  arrived  here  this  evening  about  3  P.M. :  a 
living  skeleton,  with  hollow  cheeks,  sunken  eyes,  and  bearing 
every  trait  of  the  extremest  physical  depression.  I  felt 
choking  with  emotion  to  see  him  in  this  state — a  photographic 
record  of  the  horrors  which  he  has  outlived.  I  handed  him  a 
chair  to  sit  down,  and  disappeared  behind  the  hut  to  clear  the 
gathering  mist  from  my  eyes.  I  wish  my  prospects  of  making 
him  and  myself  comfortable  here  were  a  little  more  encourag- 
ing than  they  are ;  he  and  I  are  now  at  the  mercy  of  a  gang 
of  the  cannibal-slaves  of  slaves  of  Arab  traders,  who  will  utilize 
their  opportunities  of  putting  on  every  pressure  they  can  bring 
to  bear,  to  force  us  to  part  with  our  firearms  and  ammunition 
to  them,  and  perhaps  kill  and  eat  us  in  the  end — if  we  have 
any  flesh  left  worth  eating. 

As  the  Zanzibaris  came  in  I  took  each  man's  rifle  from  him, 
so  that  he  could  not  sell  it. 


lo-l  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.       [1887. 

In  the  evening-  we  celebrated  the  occasion  by  a  banqnet, 
which  consisted  of  three  fowls.  Unfortunately,  wo  cannot  look 
forward  to  many  such  in  our  present  position. 

Nov.  5. — Jephson  separated  the  sections  of  the  boat ;  he 
could  not,  however,  get  the  men  to  follow  him  and  bring  up 
the  pieces  to  the  village.  On  the  path  to  the  Ituri  he  found 
the  deserter,  Hateb  Wadi  Balyuzi  in  a  dying  state.  He  took 
his  rifle,  but  could  not  find  his  load  anywhere. 

We  cannot  get  anything  to  eat  from  these  wretched  Arabs. 
I  fell  in  most  of  the  men  who  are  now  with  us,  and  selected 
tliose  who  were  able  to  walk,  to  go  on  with  Jephson,  as  it  is 
certain  death  for  them  to  remain  here.  They  would  be  starved, 
or,  perhaps,  eaten  by  these  savages. 

They  then  started,  and  went  to  where  the  boat  was  at  the 
river.  The  sections  were  hauled  up  for  some  distance  on  the 
bank,  and  carefully  secured  away  from  the  water.  The  oars, 
bolts,  india-rubbej",  and  other  appendages,  were  then  brought 
up  to  my  hut. 

My  donkey  was  severely  wounded  last  night  by  a  barbed 
arrow  which  penetrated  the  flesh  to  a  depth  of  several  inches  ; 
I  was  obliged  to  cut  it  out,  with  the  surrounding  flesh  in  which 
it  was  entangled. 

Nov.  6. — We  held  another  shauri  about  the  possibility  of 
finding  food.  We  are  receiving  none  from  these  people.  The 
chief,  Ismailia,  says  that  he  is  feeding  Nelson  and  myself  at 
his  own  exi)ense,  and  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  made  no  arrange- 
ments for  us.  He  refuses  to  give  any  tiling  to  our  servants ; 
and  will  not  give  us  a  good  hut  to  live  in.  Jephson  is 
making  arrangements  to  start  in  the  morning.  He  has  given 
me  the  following  letter. 

"  Dear  Jephson, 

"  Say  to  Parke  that  it  would  be  ndvisalole  to  take  the  main  springs 
(ivit  of  every  ride,  and  conceal  the  springs  very  curct'ully  among  his  own 
j.ersoual  efl'ects,  so  that  if  any  unpleasantness  occurred  the  rifleS  could  not  be 
used  against  us,  and  the  animuuition  would  not  be  so  valuable  to  them.  But 
it  should  be  done  secretly. 

"  Staxlev."- 

Nov.  7. — Jephson  loft  this  morning  with  forty-eight  men  ; 
leaving  with  me  the  twenty-four  sick,  and  our  three  boys 
The  men  were  brought  off  much  more  easily  than  we  had 
anticipated.  He  went  ahead,  and  I  urged  on  the  rear,  till  they 
had  got  clear  of  the  camp.     S(!vcn  of  my  former  t\^•enty-nine 


1887.]  EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPOTO.    135 

invalids,  who  had  gained  strength  by  the  rest  obtained  here, 
were  among  the  nnniber  who  niarclied  with  him.  I  also  wrote 
to  Mr.  Stanley,*  telling  him  how  difficult  it  was  for  Nelson  and 
myself  to  get  food  from  the  Manyuema,  and  asking  him  to 
accede  to  Nelson's  request — to  send  us  authority  to  expend 
up  to  two  bales  of  cloth,  for  which  we  would  pay  £50 — this 
would  enable  us  to  provide  for  ourselves  and  our  boys.  I 
knew  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  no  cloth  with  him  ;  but  if  he  would 
promise  to  give  us  the  bales  when  brought  up  by  the  rear 
column,  the  chiefs  would  take  our  written  agreement.  I  also 
pointed  out — what  Avas  indeed,  but  too  evident — that  Nelson 
required  nourishing  food  after  his  long  term  of  starvation. 
I  sent  a  full  list  of  all  the  rifles  and  impedimenta  which 
remain  here;  these  amount  to  IIG  loads,  including  the  boat 
sections,  which  are  at  the  river  side,  as  I  am  unable  to  have 
them  carried  up  to  camp. 

I  walked  around  with  the  chief  to-day,  who  offered  us 
another  hut,  which  we  agreed  to  take  when  cleaned  out. 
Nelson  bought  a  chicken,  which  gave  us  a  dinner.  We  can 
never  leave  our  things,  so  that  but  one  of  us  can  go  away  at  a 
time  ;  for  these  Manyuema  are  evidently  bent  on  relieving  us 
of  some  of  the  rifles,  &c.,  &c.  AVe  are  constantly  being  asked 
to  go  and  shoot  an  elephant  in  the  plantation;  and  other 
various  little  dodges  are  tried  to  decoy  us  away  from  our 
things.  Several  small  articles  have  already  been  stolen  by 
these  detestable  men :  they  put  their  arms  through  the  bars  of 
the  back  door  of  the  hut,  and  abstract  what  they  can  reach. 

Nov.  8. — Last  night,  there  was  a  deliberate  attempt  made 
to  burn  down  our  hut,  in  which  was  stored  all  our  arms  and 
ammunition,  &c.  Fortunately,  Nelson,  who  is  always  awake, 
saw  the  flames,  and  heard  the  crackling  of  the  straw  and 
wood  as  they  burned.  He  jumped  up  at  once  and  roused 
us.  In  an  instant,  ourselves  and  our  boys  were  hard  at 
work,  endeavouring  to  combat  the  destruction  which 
threatened  to  overwhelm  us.  The  scanty  supply  of  water 
which  was  habitually  kept  here  did  not  prove  a  very  efficient 
lemedy.  After  some  time,  having  pulled  down  the  gable-end 
of  the  hut,  we  managed  to  put  out  the  fire.  The  hut  had 
been  fired  in  three  different  places  on  the  straw  roof ;  fortu- 
nately, but  one  place  had  blazed  up ;  otherwise  the  ammuni- 
*  In  Darkest  Africa,  vol.  i.  p.  264. 


ir.6  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

tion  and  all  the  paraphernalia  of  our  part  of  the  Expedition 
would  have  gone  in  the  conflagration.  We  found  the  lighted 
torch,  which  had  been  used  by  the  incendiary,  and  thrown  away 
afterwards. 

AVhen  Ismailia  came  in  the  morning,  Ave  showed  him  where- 
a  considerable  part  of  the  hut  was  burnt  down,  and  also  pro- 
duced the  torch  which  had  been  employed.  He  wore  a  face 
of  extreme  innocence,  and  looked  as  if  lost  in  astonishment ; 
but  tliere  was  no  doubt  in  our  minds  that  it  was  done  by  the 
Manyuema  (and  perhaps  at  his  own  instigation)  for  the  pur- 
pose of  seizing  all  our  things  during  the  ensuing  confusion. 
He  said  that  it  was  done  by  our  own  men,  the  Zanzibaris  ; 
perhaps  they  assisted,  for  when  wo  shouted  for  help  to  put 
out  the  fire  not  a  man  came,  although  they  were  within  easy 
hearing  distance.  That  it  was  a  premeditated  attack  upon  us 
there  can  be  no  doubt  whatever. 

When  called  by  Nelson  at  the  outbreak  of  the  fire,  and 
before  I  was  thoroughly  awake,  my  first  impulse  was  to  chuck 
my  blanket  into  the  bush,  for  if  I  had  left  it  where  I  was 
lying,  I  would  not  have  seen  it  again.  When  everything  was. 
re-arranged  to-day,  I  had  my  tent  pitched,  and  had  all  arms, 
boxes,  &c.,  carried  into  it,  and  stored  up  there.  I  will,  in  future,, 
sleep  in  the  tent,  and  Nelson  in  the  hut ;  with  our  respective 
revolvers  for  sole  company. 

My  donkey  was  severely  speared  last  night,  as  he  stood  just 
outside  my  tent. 

Nov.  9. — Some  days  ago,  Ismailia  asked  me  to  give  him  a 
box  ;  so  I  promised  liim  that  I  would  do  what  I  could  for  him 
in  that  way.  Accordingly,  last  night  I  sent  him  one  of 
Fortnum,  Mason  &  Co.'s  (Piccadilly)  provision  boxes.  He 
returned  it,  with  an  indignant  message  that  it  Avas  not  good 
enough.  There  was  no  appeal  against  tliis  judgment,  as  the 
chiefs  have  a  very  effective  way  of  asserting  themselves,  i.e.y 
withholding  our  supply  of  food  till  they  get  what  they  want. 
Of  course,  then,  I  was  obliged  to  give  him  a  better  one  to- 
day ;  so  I  em])tiod  a  medicine  chest,  and  presented  it  to  him. 
This  pleased  him  because  it  was  coloured,  and  had  a  lock  and 
key.  N.B.  It  means  our  very  existence  to  keep  on  terms 
Avitli  these  relentless  ruffians. 

Alnfan,  one  of  our  Zanzibaris,  died  of  starvation  to-day. 
]\[r.  Stanley  lias  arraiigcil  that  llic  licaltliy  men — /.e.,  those  who 


1887.]  EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  MANY  U EM  A  AT  IPO  TO.   137 

are  capable  of  working — are  to  be  fed ;  but  those  \\\\o  are  sick 
are  to  get  nothing  whatever  if  they  are  unable  to  work.  This 
is  Ismailia's  version. 

Last  night,  I  almost  caught  a  thief,  who  had  two  plates  and 
a  rifle  half  out  of  the  door.  I  counted  the  rifles  to-day,  and 
find  my  number  lessened  by  two  :  fifty-nine  instead  of  sixty- 
one. 

Yesterday,  a  man  named  Hari,  formerly  of  Nelson's  com- 
pany, deserted  from  Jephson's  party.  We  captured  him  on 
his  return.  He  had  no  rifle  with  him.  "We  intended  sending 
him  on  with  Uledi,  who  has  not  yet  returned  from  foraging ; 
but  he  got  clear  of  us  this  morning,  and  bolted. 

Nov.  10. — Last  night  when  we  were  feeding  in  front  of  my 
tent — but  ten  yards  from  tlie  latter — a  thief  stole  a  box  of 
Remington  ammunition  from  the  inside  !  We  are  obliged  to 
sleep  on  top  of  our  ammunition  stores  ;  we  cannot  effectually 
guard  them  from  the  thieves  otherwise. 

At  4  P.M.  Uledi  and  six  of  the  boat's  crew  returned,  saying 
that  they  could  find  no  food.  We  gave  them  twenty  rounds 
of  ammunition  each,  to  protect  themselves  on  their  march  after 
Jephson.  I  also  utilised  some  loose  rounds  of  ammunition 
left  by  Jephson,  in  purchasing  a  little  Indian  corn  for  them. 

Nov.  11. — Uledi  left  early  this  morning,  ^uth  seven  men  and 
the  deserter  (Hari)  who  had  surrendered.  In  the  afternoon, 
Sangarameni  returned  from  a  raiding  excursion,  and  brought 
Avith  him  plenty  of  chickens,  with  about  a  dozen  tusks  of  ivory, 
weighing  between  sixty  and  seventy  pounds  each.  Late  in 
the  day  he  paid  us  a  visit,  and  gave  us  two  fowls.  This  is  the 
first  present  we  have  received  from  the  chiefs ;  we  are  now 
living  on  what  we  buy.  Nelson  has  a  little  box  of  camphorated 
chalk,  small  quantities  of  which  we  deal  out  in  exchange  for 
food.  Like  all  Arabs,  these  people  are  fond  of  powerful  odours. 
Had  it  not  been  for  this  racial  peculiarity  we  would  have 
nothing  to  eat,  excepting  these  two  chickens,  which  will 
probably  last  us  for  some  days.  Sometimes  I  manage  to  get 
a  head  of  corn,  or  a  cup  of  beans,  for  medical  attendance.  If 
the  urgency  of  the  case  (my  prognosis  depends  on  the  stage 
of  our  hunger)  demands  such  important  remedies  as  inhalation 
of  amnion,  carb.,  an  extra  fee  is  expected.  I  do  hope  and  pray 
that  this  ammonia  of  mine  will  keep  up  its  strength  ;  it  is  one 
of  the  most  important  barriers  between  us  and  starvation. 


138  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

]S(OV.  12. — About  luncheon  time,  we  returned  Sangarameni's 
visit  of  yesterday.  While  with  him  he  asked  us  to  sit  down 
and  partake  of  the  midday  meal  of  curried  chicken  and  rice. 
It  was  very  good ;  but  as  eight  or  ten  savages  were  eating  out 
of  the  same  dish  with  their  hands,  the  display  was  rather 
calculated  to  blunt  the  appetite  a  little.  All  the  same,  how- 
ever, we  both  ate  freely ;  for  hunger  is  not  over-nice,  and 
serves  to  dissipate  silly  prejudices. 

Like  all  good  Mohammedans,  these  people  always  wasli  their 
feet,  hands,  and  mouths  before  eating  a  meal ;  I  wish  the  fricti(jn 
would  remove  some  of  their  peculiar  morality. 

"  The  pvince  of  darkness  is  a  gentleman  ;  Modo  he's  called,  and  ]Mahu.'' 

I  have  read  the  opinion  of  some  commentator  who  makes 
these  names  corruptions  of  "Mohammed":  if  this  piece  of 
philology  bo  accurate,  I  consider  that  the  Shakespearian 
view  of  the  "prophet"  is  very  fairly  represented  by  his 
followers  here. 

Afterwards  we  went  to  meet  Khamisi,  the  head  chief,  who  was 
returning  from  a  raid  in  the  southerly  direction.  He  had 
collected  a  great  number  of  chickens  and  goats,  also  ten  tusks  of 
ivory.  Several  shots  were  fired  as  a  salute,  to  receive  him  when 
he  entered  the  village.  After  the  usual  exchange  of  salaams, 
he  presented  us  with  two  chickens.  Experience  has  taught  us 
that  there  is  nothing  like  being  conspicuously  to  the  front 
with  salaam-sauce  when  these  foraging  expeditions  return. 
Shortly  afterwards,  some  under-chiefs  presented  me  with  two 
chickens  and  some  bananas.  Unfortunately,  however,  a  present, 
as  I  have  found  elsewhere  in  Africa,  always  means  something- 
better  in  return. 

Nov.  13. — Nelson  and  I  paid  an  official  visit  to  the  chiefs, 
for  the  purpose  of  endeavouring  to  arrange  about  the  food 
question  for  ourselves  and  our  men  in  the  future.  The  three 
•chiefs,  Khamisi,  Ismailia,  and  Saugarameni,  with  some  smaller 
fry,  were  present  at  the  interview.  Khamisi,  who  had  had 
the  agreement  locked  up,  now  produced  the  document, 
■which  was  in  Mr.  Stanley's  handwriting.  There  was  also 
a  second,  in  Arabic  characters,  which  appeared  with  the  one 
in  Englisli.  In  the  former  we  read  a  distinct  clause  that 
all  the  sick  and  the  officers  (Nelson  and  myself)  who  were  left 
here  were  to  bo  provisioned  during  tlie  stay.     The  chiefs,  when 


ASS7.}  EXFEBIENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPOTO.    131) 

I  read  this,  said  that  Stanley  lied,  as  he  had  never  mentioned 
to  them  that  we  officers  were  to  Ije  provisioned.  I  was  present 
in  Mr.  Stanley's  tent  when  Ismailia  promised  faithfully  to  feed 
ourselves  and  our  men,  according  to  Mr.  Stanley's  agreement. 
This  is  an  example  of  their  deceitful,  unreliable,  and  cruel 
natures.  He  admitted,  however,  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  said 
that  I  would  attend  to  their  sick,  and  get  provisions  in  lieu  of 
my  services  ;  and  that  Nelson  was  to  have  food  in  exchange  for 
presents  which  he  would  make  them.  This  is  also  false.  He 
.added  that  they  had  very  little  food  now.  We  told  them  that 
we  had  written  to  Mr.  Stanley  to  grant  us  a  supply  of  cloth,  and 
that  we  would  give  them  twenty-nine  rifles  and  twelve  boxes 
of  ammunition  to  keep,  until  redeemed  by  the  cloth.  To  this 
they  would  not,  of  course,  agree.  Just  before  the  shauri 
had  commenced,  Xelson  had  made  a  present  of  a  gold  chain 
v(value  £17)  to  Khamisi,  a  pair  of  field-glasses  (£9  9s.)  to 
Sangarameui,  and  a  sword  (£7)  to  Ismailia.  This  offhand 
generosity  was  intended  to  soften  their  stony  hearts,  and  appeal 
to  their  gratitude — if  they  had  any.  Those  expensive  seeds 
we  soon  found  to  have  fallen  on  a  very  unproductive  soil. 

Nov.  14. — Ismailia  started  this  morning  on  a  tour  amongst 
the  VVashenzi.  Each  of  the  three  chiefs  had  a  third  of  the 
surrounding  country  allotted  to  him  for  his  maraudings.  They 
pillage  the  native  villages  in  search  of  plunder,  and  take  whole 
families  as  slaves.  Indeed,  ivory-trade  and  slave-trade  are 
synonymous  terms  in  Africa;  for  the  captives  are  returned  in 
■exchange  for  ivory,  only  to  be  recciptured — to  carry  the  same 
ivory  to  the  coast. 

We  purchased  a  little  Indian  corn  to-day. 

Nov.  15. — This  place  is  filled  with  lizards,  lice,  and  all  sorts 
■of  disagreeable  insects.  All  kinds  of  pediculi  abound,  but  espe- 
cially i\ie  jiediculus  vestimenti  (yel  co^yoris).  These  pests  multiply 
with  the  greatest  rapidity,  the  ova  being  deposited  on  the 
fibres  of  the  garments,  and  hatched  in  five  .days.  We  dread 
going  to  bed,  as  the  first  hour  is  always  spent  in  scratching  ; 
blood  is  always  drawn  here  and  there  by  this  oj>eration  from 
the  torn  summits  of  small  pimples.  Every  ulcer  and  excoria- 
tion, however  small,  when  healed,  leaves  a  darkened  spot — • 
from  excessive  deposit  of  pigment. 

My  donkey  is  also  a  martyr  to  the  morlus  pedtcidosiis. 
Jihamisi  is  very  poorly  to-day.      It  looks    like  commencing 


UO  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFIilCA.       [1887, 

j^neuinonia.  I  pay  iiim  the  most  unwearying  attention,  and 
give  liim  an  occasional  whiff  from  the  mysterious  ammon.  carb. 
bottle — a  panacea  for  all  diseases  under  the  equatorial  sun  i 
I  keep  up  this  most  important  treatment  in  the  anxious  antici- 
pation of  getting  a  chicken  for  my  trouble. 

The  chiefs  and  their  satellites  are  continually  paying  us 
visits,  invariably  coveting  everything  they  see,  and  trying  if 
they  can  by  any  possible  means  manage  to  appropriate  it. 
They  are  the  most  shamelessly  obstinate  beggars  I  have  ever 
met. 

Nov.  16. — Two  Zanzibaris  were  brought  up  for  stealing- 
corn.  We  were  obliged  to  punish  them,  although  they  are 
really  driven  to  steal  by  these  cruel  IManyuema,  who  will  not 
give  them  food.  So  the  imhappy  culprits  were  chastised  by 
very  sympathetic  hands. 

My  boy  Muftah  has  not  come  to  work  to-day,  on  the  pretence 
of  being  ill.  In  reality  he  wishes  to  leave  me,  and  work  for  the 
Manyuema  wretches ;  as  they  give  him  food  to  entice  him  away 
from  me,  and  I  am  only  able  to  give  him  mboga  (leaves  of 
the  pepper-plant,  and  the  green  tops  of  a  peculiar  plant  not 
unlike  a  potato-stalk).  This  latter  is  very  abundant  here, 
and  grows  best  on  mounds  of  refuse  and  filth.  These,  Avhen 
pounded  up  witli  a  mushroom-like  fungus,  found  about  the 
roots  of  dead  trees,  make  a  tolerably  palatable  spinach.  This 
elementary  diet  is  what  Kelson  and  myself  mostly  exist  upon. 
Nelson's  boys, "  Osmani  "  and  "  Feragi,"  stick  to  him  ;  but  one 
of  them  is  an  invalid  and  unable  to  do  much. 

I  shot  a  hawk  this  morning,  which  kept  us  going  for  the 
day. 

Nov.  17. — We  have  frequently  asked  the  chiefs  to  give  us 
some  ground  to  prepare  for  planting  corn  and  beans;  but  they 
always  put  it  off'  with  some  trivial  excuse.  I  jiavc  tried  over 
and  over  again  to  got  a  man  to  accompany  me  into  the  forest, 
to  get  a  sliot  at  a  pig ;  and  also  to  go  with  me  to  the  river " 
(which  is  three  hours'  distance),  in  order  to  see  if  the  sections 
of  the  boat  are  all  right  and  safe  where  they  were  left.  I  have, 
up  to  the  present,  been  unable  to  get  one  from  the  chiefs ;  who 
make  themselves  as  disagreeable  as  possible.  Their  object  in 
giving  us  little  or  no  food  is  to  starve  us  into  parting  with  our 
rifles  and  ammunitiou;  which  we  are  determined  not  to  do— at 
least,  till  all  onrown  l)cl(iiigings  go  first,  and  all  other  possible 


1887.]  EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPO  TO.  141 

resources  have  failed  ;  for  the  amuiuuitiou  is  the  most  valuable 
thing  we  have  got. 

Nov.  18. — Ismailia  the  chief  has  returned  from  an  expedi- 
tion with  his  ruga-ruga  (i.e.  banditti).  Also,  another  party 
Avhich  left  on  the  28th  of  October,  has  turned  up.  They  have 
brought  back  with  them  a  number  of  slaves,  goats,  fowls,  ten 
tusks  of  ivory  (and  many  small  pieces  of  the  same  article)  ; 
also  ivory  horns,  drums,  and  various  native  ornaments.  Their 
approach  was,  as  is  the  invariable  custom  on  the  return  of  a 
victorious  plundering  party,  announced  by  a  fusillade  from  the 
more  responsible  members  of  the  community  ;  wliile  the  others 
^)low  horns  and  make  merry  music,  which  answers  in  function 
to  our  "  See,  the  conquering  hero  comes."  If  the  ruga-ruga 
have  not  seized  any  ivory,  there  is  no  salute  fired  :  a  damping 
silence  prevails  throughout  the  party  during  the  approach  of 
the  disappointed  adventurers. 

This  morning  we  received  two  cups  of  Indian  corn  flour  from 
■Sangarameni :  a  poor  supply  for  four  of  us.  So  we  exchanged 
4i  rifle  for  a  goat. 

Nov.  19. — No  food  whatever  could  we  extract  from  the  chiefs 
to-day.  In  the  evening  I  sold  my  field-glasses  for  100  heads 
of  corn,  to  feed  ourselves  and  our  boys.  I  had  previously  taken 
the  precaution  of  removing  the  two  large  lenses ;  which  may 
come  in  useful  in  the  lighting  of  a  fire  (or  a  pipe)  when  we  get 
out  of  the  forest,  and  have  a  chance  of  seeing  the  sun.  My 
servant  has  now  left  me,  as  he  can  get  more  food  from  the 
IVtanyuema  by  working  for  them.  I  went  for  a  shot,  but  got 
nothing.  During  my  absence,  however.  Nelson  was  presented 
with  one  chicken  and  a  little  flour ;  this  is  very  good  feeding 
for  to-day,  but  we  never  know  where  we  shall  get  the  next 
meal.  Khamisi,  the  head  chief,  has  now  recovered  from  his 
illness ;  I  was  unremitting  in  my  attentions  to  him :  yet  for 
all  tliat  he  has  not,  up  to  the  present,  given  any  recognition 
of  his  appreciation. 

This  morning  we  sent  to  the  chiefs  for  some  food.  They 
sent  back  word  that  they  would  give  none,  and  that  they 
would  thrash  the  boy  if  he  went  down  to  them  again.  I  have 
given  up  all  hope  of  having  my  boy  back  again,  as  he  has 
been  fairly  seduced  away  by  the  chiefs.  In  the  course  of  the 
evening  Sangarameni  sent  up  a  messenger  to  us,  instructing 
us  to  send  him  down  a  present ! 


142  EXPEniENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA,       [1887.. 

Nov.  21. — Last  night  and  the  previous  one  were  both  ven* 
wet.  About  ten  minutes  after  the  first  premonitory  signs  there 
falls  a  perfect  deluge  of  rain,  accompanied  by  a  tornado  and 
immense  sheets  of  lightning.  About  3  a.m.  yesterday  morning- 
a  thief  entered  my  tent,  while  I  was  asleep,  and  took  off  a  box 
of  ammunition  ;  but  on  his  way  out  he  knocked  over  a  tin 
box,  which  I  had  purposely  placed  at  the  doorway.  On  hearing- 
the  noise,  I  immediately  seized  my  revolver  and  rushed  out,, 
just  in  time  to  save  the  box  of  ammunition,  which  the  burglar 
•  had  dropped  on  the  path.  He  escaped,  as  I  could  not  see  him 
in  the  dark. 

Nelson  was  very  feverish  last  night.  This  morning  his 
temperature  was  103^  F.  I  gave  him  some  medicines  ;  but  have 
nothing  to  give  him  to  eat,  except  mhoga  and  popped  corn 
(toasted).  The  chiefs,  and  many  others,  come  to  visit  us  :  their 
real  object  in  inflicting  these  attentions  being  to  pry  into  our 
little  surroundings,  covet  everything,  and  try  to  get  all  they 
can  from  us.  They  now  come  into  our  tents,  and  sit  on  our 
beds,  leaving  behind  them  legions  of  vermin  as  remem- 
brancers of  their  visits.  Surely  our  social  life  here  is  not  a 
happy  one. 

Nov.  22. — We  have  now  had  no  food  Avhatever  from  the 
chiefs  for  the  last  three  days.  We  are  living  entirely  on 
mboga ;  in  fact,  we  are  grazing — living  the  life  of  Nebuchad- 
nezzar. I  only  hope  it  will  not  last  for  seven  years,  for  I  am 
tired  of  it  already.  We  have  of  course  finished  (aided  by  our 
two  boys)  the  corn  which  I  purchased  for  my  field-glasses. 
Nelson  got  two  cups  of  beans,  for  a  pair  of  scissors ;  this  is- 
far  below  the  market  value.  Osmani,  who  understands  Arabic- 
says  that  he  heard  the  chiefs  tell  the  people  to  sell  us  little  or 
nothing.  The  people  certainly  have  ceased  to  come  to  sell  us 
food  as  before.  Nelson  and  I  pitched  the  second  tent  this- 
morning ;  we  were  unable  to  get  help  from  the  chiefs.  The 
goat  had  a  baby  to-day,  but  our  visions  of  porridge  and  milk" 
have  been  cut  sliort  by  the  chiefs,  who  would  not  give  any 
Indian  meal.  AVo  sincerely  hope  tliat  tlic  donkey  will  keep 
until  after  Christmas. 

Nelson  is  not  improving ;  lie  is  a  mass  of  ulcers,  and  has 
to  be  suspended  in  a  cord  hammock  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  day,  to  relieve  bed  sores.  He  sometimes  sleeps  in  the 
open,  in  his  liammock.     I  could  not  have  believed  that  such  a. 


IS^l.']  EXPERIENCES  WITH  THE  MANYUEMA  AT  IPO  TO.    1^3 

manly,  well-built,  athletic  form  could  have  been  reduced  to 
such  a  sickly-looking,  infirm,  decrepit  skeleton, 

Nov.  23. — I  went  for  a  shot,  but  got  nothing.  I  then  returned 
to  a  luncheon  of  bean  soup.  Nelson  is  an  excellent  cook  ;  he 
boils  a  cupful  of  beans  in  a  great  quantity  of  water,  then 
bruises  them  in  a  Ichino  (a  sort  of  wooden  mortar),  returns  them 
to  the  water,  and  adds  a  few  pepper  pods.  This  is  by  no 
means  a  bad  meal,  as  things  go,  for  ourselves  and  our  boys. 

Very  heavy  rain  fell  to-day.  Khamisi  gave  me  a  cup  of 
beans  for  a  little  medicine  case,  suitable  for  holding  needles.. 
I  asked  him  why  the  chiefs  wanted  to  starve  us,  and  he  replied 
that  j\[r.  Stanley  had  told  a  lie — that  we  were  not  to  be  fed — 
also  that  Nelson  had  offended  Ismailia,  by  telling  him  that 
he  always  wanted  whatever  he  saw  in  our  tents.  (This  candid 
remark  was  quite  true,  as  Ismailia  is  a  thoroughly  avaricious 
cur.)  I  was  in  fear  of  absolute  starvation ;  so,  pocketing  my 
pride,  I  suggested  that  "\\e  should  all  be  friends,  to  which 
praiseworthy  sentiment  Ismailia  professed  himself  quite  agree- 
able, and  said  that  everything  was  "  finished."  After  an 
intervalof  about  fifteen  minutes,  Ismailia  came  up,  shook 
hands,  and  said  that  all  was  friendly  now. 

Nelson  sold  a  very  handsome  scarlet  waistcoat,  for  which  he 
received  seven  cups  of  meal  from  Khamisi.  We  shall  very  soon. 
be  reduced  to  bark-cloth  and  an  ivory  bangle. 


3-1-1  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.       [188^ 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FURTHER   EXPERIENCES   AT    IPOTO. 

The  Manyuema  hear  false  news  regarding  three  guiries  siipiilied  to  Mr. 
Stanley,  whereby  our  lives  are  endangered — Letters  to  hand  fi'om  Stanley 
and  Jephson — Tactics  of  the  chiefs — Troublesome  vermin — My  birthday 
— A  substantial  feast — "  Wake  "  in  memory  of  the  three  lose  guides — 
Having  no  food,  Nelson  and  I  finish  the  remainder  of  the  quinine  and 
orange  wine — Marked  change  in  our  appearance  and  general  behaviour — 
Evening  visits  of  the  IManyuema  to  our  tents— We  hold  a  shauri  with 
the  chiefs  regarding  food  supply — Theft  of  blankets  and  sleeping  things 
from  our  tents — I'lmishment  of  the  Zanzibari  thieves — We  open  Emin 
Pasha's  bales,  and  exchange  the  soiled  goods  for  food — My  medical  fees 
paid  in  small  food  supplies — Sudden  generosity  of  the  chiefs — Nelson 
very  feverish — Forest  game  and  Arab  crops — My  boy  Sherif  steals  some 
cartridges — Construction  of  a  new  village  by  the  chiefs — Description  of 
the  huts — I  am  laid  up  with  erysipelas — Dreadful  condition  of  Nelson — 
Loss  of  our  milch  goat — Nelson  operates  on  me — An  offer  of  goats  in 
return  for  rifles  declined  by  us — Preparing  food  for  Christmas — Arrival 
of  Kilonga  Longa's  advance  guard — My  tent  is  besieged  by  an  army  of 
ants — Improvement  in  my  condition — Dish  made  from  pounded  ants — 
Dsmailia's  philanthropic  suggestion — Christmas  Day  spent  in  bed— Only 
eleven  of  our  Zanzibaris  alive — The  comic  side  of  our  position — Khamisi 
comes  to  me  to  be  doctored — Difficnltj'  in  milking  our  goat — Growth  of 
our  corn  and  beans — The  chiefs  still  refuse  us  food — Kilonga  Longa's 
arrival  delayed. 

Nov.  24. — Last  night  was  the  most  iiiipleasaut  we  have 
spent  for  some  time.  Late  in  the  evening  there  was  a  great 
commotion  in  the  viUage,  and  all  the  women  set  up  a  continuous 
liowiing  (hi,  111).  Presently  one  of  our  Zanzibari  invalids 
(iMuini)  crawled  up  to  us  in  the  dark.  This  apparition 
whispered  that  we  should  sleep  lightly,  as  he  had  overheard 
the  Manyuema  chiefs  say  that  they  would  have  their  revenge 
on  us,  a  report  having  reached  them  that  Mr.  Stanley  had 
killed  three  of  the  guides  whom  he  had  brought  with  him, 
when  leaving  on  the  27th  ult.  Knowing  the  barbarous  ways 
of  these  pooi)lc,  and  that  under  the  circumstances,  we  were 
both  perfectly  certain  of  prolonged  torture  or  being  disposed 
of  in  some  such  horrible  way,  as  their  cry  always  is  "Blood 
for  blood!" — we  made  ourselves  ready  to  die  quickly  rather 


1887.]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPO  TO.  145 

than  suffer  a  lingering  demise  at  the  pleasure  of  onr  hosts. 
Nelson  armed  himself  with  all  the  strychnine  in  the 
medicine  case,  and  I  with  my  revolver.  We  took  our  Win- 
chester repeaters,  and  retired  into  the  bush,  close  to  the 
tents ;  each  watching  his  own  tent,  and  silently  awaiting 
the  next  scene  of  the  tragedy.  After  some  hours,  the  howl- 
ing in  the  village  ceased,  and  we  returned  from  our  places 
of  concealment.  We  then  immediately  sent  to  Khamisi  to 
inquire  what  was  the  matter.  He  sent  back  word  that  three  of 
his  men,  whom  he  had  sent  as  guides  with  Mr.  Stanley,  had 
been  ill-treated  by  the  W^ashenzi ;  but  that  the  first  report 
was  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  killed  them.  This  account  com- 
forted us,  but  we  thought  it  advisable  to  remain  on  the  alert 
aJl  night.  At  7  a.m.  Ismailia  and  Sangarameni  came  to 
pay  us  a  visit.  They  confirmed  the  report  that  the  three 
guides  had  been  killed  by  the  Washenzi;  as  Mr.  Stanley 
failed  to  make  friends  with  the  natives,  who  then  shot  arrows 
at  them.  The  reports  are  conflicting  and  unreliable.  The 
chief  who  accompanied  Mr.  Stanley  arrives  to-morrow,  so  that 
we  hope  to  hear  the  truth. 

Nov.  25. — Ismailia  sent  us  three  cups  of  meal  yesterday. 
We  calculate  that  Mr.  Stanley  is  by  this  time  somewhere  not 
far  from  the  lake.  The  chief  guide  arrived  last  night ;  and 
brougiit  letters  from  Stanley  and  Jephson,  dated  17th  Novem- 
ber. They  had  reached  a  country  with  plenty  of  food,  but  had 
not  yet  heard  of  the  grass  lands.  Mr.  Stanley  sent  a  promissory 
note  for  the  two  bales  of  cloth,  and  said  that  he  did  not  see 
how  we  are  to  be  relieved  if  the  cloth  never  arrives ;  recom- 
mending us  to  be  patient,  and  put  up  with  our  trouble  as  best 
we  could;  for  the  Manyuema  are  wicked  and  desperate 
people.  He  added  that  we  should  take  the  main  springs  out 
of  all  the  rifles,  so  that  they  could  not  be  used  against  us. 

[In  Jephson's  letter  to  Nelson  he  mentioned  that  Mr.  Stanley 
desired  me  to  give  up  the  valuable  watch  and  chain  to  Ismailia. 
This  I  accordingly  did.  He  frequently  complained  to  me 
afterwards  that  the  watch  was  "  deacV] 

We  interviewed  the  chiefs  on  the  subject  of  sending  for  the 
boxes,  which  still  remain  buried  at  Nelson's  starvation  camp. 
We  offered  four  yards  of  calico  per  load  for  their  carriage  to  the 
village.  They  replied  that  they  w^ould  hold  a  shauri  among 
themselves  on  the  matter.     Later  on  the  chiefs  did  return  to 


146  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.        [1887. 

pay  us  a  visit ;  they  were  all  in  excellent  spirits,  and,  appa- 
rently, well  disposed.  Ismailia  commenced  by  asking  us  to  give 
him  a  rifle  in  exchange  for  a  goat,  and  they  all  expressed  their 
desire  that  we  should  sell  them  some  of  our  cartridges.  This 
indicates  their  tendency  :  they  are  running  short  of  ammuni- 
tion, and  they  would  on  the  least  provocation  murder  us  for 
the  sake  of  the  ammunition  we  have  got  with  us.  We  are 
completely  at  their  mercy,  and  their  tactics  in  attempting  to 
starve  us  by  withholding  food  form  a  very  excellent  plan  to 
drive  us  to  sell  our  rifles  and  ammunition. 

There  was  great  excitement  in  the  village  last  night ;  about 
100  shots  were  fired  as  a  fantasia.  Nelson  and  myself  were 
fearfully  itchy ;  no  peace  for  us  after  sunset,  when  the  whole 
place  seems  to  become  a  seething  mass  of  vermin  of  all 
kinds. 

Nov.  26. — I  have  taken  Sherif  as  a  servant.  I  only  hope 
that  the  Manyuema  chiefs  will  not  induce  him  to  desert  me  as 
they  did  in  the  case  of  Muftah. 

Nov.  27. — The  anniversary  of  my  birthday  !  Surroundings 
not  so  jubilant,  perhaps,  as  one  could  wish,  but  I  have  been 
trying  to  make  the  best  of  it.  Nelson  gave  one  of  his  boxes 
in  exchange  for  a  goat,  and  Sangarameni  actually  went  so  far 
as  to  send  me  three  cups  of  Indian  meal ;  so  that  we  are 
celebrating  the  occasion  with  a  substantial  feast ! 

The  vermin  must  have  made  up  their  mind  to  have  their 
turn  first,  for  they  assembled  en  masse  and  en  fete  last  night. 
I  feel  certain  that  the  experience  of  the  past  six  months  has 
taken  away  at  least  five  years  from  my  short  span. 

Nov.  28. — There  is  to  be  a  big  feed  to-night  in  the  village, 
to  the  memory  of  the  three  lost  guides,  who  fell  victims  to  the 
wrath  of  the  Washenzi.  A  veritable  "  wake."  We  did  not 
kill  Nelson's  goat,  as  was  originally  intended,  hoping  for  an 
invitation  to  the  feast,  or  (better  still)  that  the  ex;citement  of 
the  occasion  might  inspire  them  to  send  us  some  food  for 
ourselves.  The  operation  of  pounding  corn  into  meal  has 
been  going  on  vigorously  everywhere  throughout  the  village 
to-day. 

I  am  now  in  my  thirty-first  year.  Every  succeeding  year 
passes  more  rapidly  than  [its  predecessor.  I  wonder  what  my 
«'  expectation  of  life  "  is  worth  in  my  present  position ! 

I  find  that  the  most  comfortable  costume  to  adopt  here  is  a 


1887]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPOTO.  147 

towel  girded  round  the  waist.  IMost  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
vilhxge,  both  men  and  women,  wear  nothing  at  all,  so  that  we 
see  a  great  deal  of  each  other. 

No  invitation  to  the  banquet.  It  passed  off  quietly,  as  these 
people  possess  no  intoxicating  liquor,  and  no  society  journals 
to  say  what  they  wore  the  night  before.  I  will  go  off  to-night, 
and  lie  in  ambush  till  morning,  to  try  and  get  a  shot  at  a  pig, 
as  they  always  come  into  the  corn-fields  in  the  early  morning. 

Nov.  29. — I  returned  to  Nelson  about  6.30  a.m.,  having 
failed  to  get  a  shot,  after  my  long  night's  watching.  We  had 
now  nothing  for  breakfast,  so  we  sent  to  the  chiefs  for  food ; 
they  replied  that  they  had  nothing  for  us  till  to-morrow. 
Accordingly,  we  held  a  consultation,  and  decided  to  finish  what 
remained  of  the  quinine  and  orange-wine — as  a  prophylactic 
against  the  fevers  of  the  present  day — and  then  exchange  the 
empty  bottle  for  some  corn.  Undeterred  by  the  large  quantity 
of  medicine  in  the  bottle,  and  acting  on  the  principle  that  if  a 
small  quantity  is  so  good,  more  should  be  better,  we  divided  the 
contents  fairly  between  us,  and  drank  it.  After  a  short  time 
we  noticed  that  our  conversational  powers  had  developed  to  a 
pitch  that  we  had  not  realised  since  we  became  denizens  of 
the  Manyuema  settlement,  and  a  marked  change  appeared  to 
arise  in  our  appearance  and  general  behaviour.  We  also  esti- 
mated much  more  highly  the  chances  of  the  ultimate  success 
of  the  Emin  Pasha  Belief  Expedition,  and  felt  quite  inspired 
by  our  own  heroism  in  taking  so  important  a  share  therein ; 
we  even  saw  favourable  visions  of  our  deliverance  from  the 
talons  of  the  Arab  harpies,  and  of  a  possible  future  escape  from 
the  African  forest  to  the  centres  of  European  civilisation. 
Presently  the  current  of  ideas  became  less  rapid,  and  we  kept 
repeating  the  same  thing  over  again  once  or  twice ;  and  we  saw 
the  advisability  of  going  to  bed,  of  course.  I  had  been  out  all 
night,  and  wanted  sleep  very  much.  We  acted  on  this  idea, 
finding,  as  we  moved  towards  our  couches,  that  a  considerable 
practical  difficulty  had  arisen  in  keeping  the  centre  of  gravity 
within  the  base  of  support.  We  rapidly  subsided  into  a  deep 
sleep,  from  which  we  awoke,  with  marked  fuzziness  of  ideas,  to 
realise  that  we  had  passed  through  a  jorocess  of  inebriation. 
No  unpleasant  consequences,  however,  followed;  we  had  not 
been  guilty  of  disorderly  conduct,  and  there  were  no  costs 
to  pay, 

L  2 


148  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

We  now  sent  down  our  empty  bottle  for  corn,  as  the  chiefs 
had  sent  us  nothing. 

Nov.  30. — No  food  Avas  sent  by  the  chiefs  to-day.  So 
we  killed  our  goat,  and  cooked  the  liver  and  kidneys  :  they 
were  delicious  ;  but  we  felt  the  want  of  something  to  eat  with 
the  meat — some  salt,  corn,  or  potatoes  (sweet).  We  have 
dried  some  goat  meat  by  placing  strips  of  the  flesh  on  a 
changer  (wooden  grating)  over  a  smoky  fire,  under  the  sun. 
(The  weather  is  so  hot  here,  that  meat,  if  neglected,  goes  bad 
in  one  day  and  a  night.) 

I  got  two  cups  of  Indian  meal  to-day — a  mark  of  recognition 
of  my  services  from  a  grateful  patient.  I  expect  that  this  is 
the  only  source  of  food  left  us  in  the  future,  as  the  chiefs 
obstinately  continue  to  refuse  giving  us  anything. 

Nelson  has  made  friends  with  a  few  of  these  people,  and 
pays  them  an  occasional  visit,  always  about  meal-times,  when 
they  generally  offer  him  a  head  of  Indian  corn.  Every 
evening,  when  the  Manyuema  have  finished  work,  they  come 
and  sit  around  our  tents;  sometimes  they  come  inside,  and 
handle  everything.  They  are  a  fearful  nuisance  ;  but  it  would 
be  simple  madness  to  hurt  their  feelings  by  objecting  to  their 
attentions.  We  do  not  understand  their  language,  and  vice 
versa;  so  that  we  are  constantly  abusing  each  other  face  to 
face  with  impunity.    We  hold  animated  conversations  ! 

Dec.  1.' — Nelson  and  myself  had  a  shauri  with  the  chiefs 
relative  to  the  important  question  of  feeding  us,  and  receiving 
in  return  the  two  extra  bales  of  cloth,  as  Mr.  Stanley  had 
guaranteed.  Now,  however,  to  our  horror,  they  say  that  there 
is  no  food  whatever  to  be  got  on  any  terms;  still  they  always 
have  some  to  sell.  Accordingly,  the  fact  is  too  plain  that  they 
want  to  starve  us,  so  that  they  may  drive  us  to  sell  the  ammu- 
nition and  rifles.  Ismailia  sent  us  three  cups  of  meal  to-day; 
this  must  do  for  us  till  some  more  can  be  got. 

Nelson's  temperature  is  very  high  to-day;  he  now  has 
remittent  fever.  Poor  fellow !  What  surroundings  to  struggle 
with ! 

Dec.  2. — I  remained  on  tlie  watch  all  niglit,  trying  to  get  a 
shot  at  a  pig  or  antelope,  but  was  unsuccessful.  Our  blankets 
will  be  the  next  items  to  go  for  eatables.  Ourselves  and  our 
boys  are  back  again  on  mboga  diet.  Poor  Nelson  is  still 
very  seedy.     He  asked  Ismailia  for  some   beans  to  plant: 


1887.]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPOTO.  149 

lie  gave  him  two  liaudfiils,  which  we  phmted  m  front  of  the 
tents. 

Dec.  3. — To-day  I  again  asked  Ismailia  when  he  eouki  send 
for  the  boxes  in  Nelson's  starvation  camp.  He  told  me  that 
the  three  chiefs  (Khamisi,  Sangarameni,  and  himself)  were 
bnilding  honses,  and,  in  consequence,  were  unable  to  spare 
carriers  at  present ;  he  would  let  us  know  when  they  would 
be  forthcoming.  I  intend,  of  course,  to  accompany  them 
myself. 

Nelson  sold  a  pair  of  pyjamas  for  corn,  which  we  planted 
close  to  our  tents.  For  a  long  time  we  have  been  intending  to 
perpetrate  this  piece  of  husbandry,  but  we  always  ate  our  grain 
instead  of  planting  it. 

Dec.  4. — I  took  my  boy,  Sherif,  with  rifle  and  shot-gun,. 
and  walked  to  the  river  (three  hours'  distance)  to  see  the  boat,, 
which  I  found  all  right  as  to  its  twelve  sections,  and  stowed  in 
a  safe  position  well  away  from  the  river.  I  shot  a  small  bird 
and  a  lemur;  the  latter  smelt  very  "gamey."  We  passed 
the  skeleton  of  Hateb  Wadi  Balyuzi  on  the  path.  On  our 
return  we  heard  the  dwarfs  shrieking  and  yelling  in  the 
forest,  driving  the  game  up  against  their  huge  game-nets,  fifty 
or  sixty  yards  in  length,  and  then  spearing  and  shooting- 
arrows  at  the  animals  which  they  had  hemmed  in,  to  sell  for 
grain  to  the  Wasongora.  We  made  very  little  delay  to- 
observe  their  sporting  customs. 

Dec.  5. — Last  night,  when  Nelson  and  myself  returned  to- 
our  tents,  the  former  discovered  that  his  two  blankets,  with  the 
sleeping  things,  and  a  rope,  had  been  stolen  from  his  tent, 
although  we  had  been  sitting  but  ten  yards  off,  and  my  boy 
Sherif  had  been  on  sentry  at  the  door  all  the  time.  Perhaps 
the  boy  slept ;  but  he  afiflrmed  most  strongly  that  he  neither 
saw  nor  heard  any  person  enter  the  tent  all  the  time.  The 
thief  had  evidently  got  under  the  tent  from  behind.  Nelson 
immediately  reported  the  matter  to  the  chiefs,  the  result  of 
which  was  that  they  brought  up  this  morning  one  of  our 
Zanzibaris,  Saraboko,  Avho  had  brought  them  one  blanket 
and  the  sleeping  things.  He  had  gone  to  Sangarameni  to 
offer  to  sell  them,  and  was  discovered  in  this  way.  He 
has  confessed  to  having  sold  the  ammunition  and  rifle  to  the 
Manyuema. 

Dec.  6. — Saraboko  came  this  morning,  and  informed  us  that 


150  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOIIIAL   AFllICA.        [1887. 

it  was  Baraka,  auotlier  of  our  Zanzibaris,  who  had  stolen  one 
of  the  bhxnkets  and  the  rope.  He  also  denied  the  stealing 
of  the  ammunition  and  the  rifle,  to  which  he  had  confessed 
yesterday. 

Last  night,  as  we  were  going  to  bed,  the  three  chiefs  came 
to  us,  bringing  one  of  the  Zanzibaris,  named  jMabruki,  who 
had,  they  said,  stolen  rice  from  them.  We  cannot  well  punish 
the  poor  wretch ;  as  he  is  driven  to  theft  by  these  people 
witholding  food. 

We  went  to  the  chiefs  to-day,  and  asked  them  if  we  could 
go  down  to  their  hut  at  meal-time,  and  feed  out  of  the  same 
dish  with  them,  or  send  a  messenger  to  them  for  a  ration  of 
food  from  their  meal.  They  said  "  yes."  So  we  went  down  at 
their  usual  meal-time  (dejeuner,  or  "  terekeso  ")  but  found  the 
houses  of  the  chiefs  all  shut  up.  They  had  actually  gone  to 
feed  in  some  secluded  spot  where  we  could  not  find  them  ! 

I  received  from  Sangarameni  three  cups  of  beans — my  fee 
for  medical  attendance  and  most  excellent  professional  advice. 
"We  opened  Emin  Pasha's  bales  to-day,  and  sold  two  vests ; 
as  our  own  clothes  were  all  gone.  Most  of  Emin's  things  are 
so  damaged  by  the  wet  that  they  are  not  worth  carrying. 

Dec.  7. — I  was  called  up  last  night  to  see  the  wife  of  one 
of  the  chiefs,  who  was  taken  ill.  She  was  greatly  relieved  by 
the  treatment,  and  is  very  much  better  this  morning ;  she  had 
what  is  generally  known  as  "  a  very  good  time."  Khamisi 
brought  us  three  cups  of  meal  last  night.  This  generosity 
is  absolutely  unprecedented.     I  do  wonder  what  he  wants. 

Nelson  and  I  weighed  ourselves  to-day.  I  weighed  155  lbs. : 
Nelson,  who  is  still  in  a  very  reduced  condition,  weighed 
but  135  lbs.  AVe  sent  for  food  to-day.  Ismailia  sent  a  cup 
and  a  half  of  beans.  Wo  exchanged  a  pair  of  Mr.  Stanley's 
drawers,  which  wo  found  among  our  things,  for  some  mohindi 
(Indian  corn)  from  Khamisi. 

Dec.  8. — To-day  we  sent  for  food,  as  arranged  with  the 
chiefs.  Their  suggestion  was,  that  we  might  send  at  their 
meal-time  for  some  of  their  cooked  food.  However,  we  failed 
to  get  any  to-day.  Sangarameni  relieved  me,  by  giving  me 
some  beans  for  professional  advice.  Medical  fees  are  moderate 
here,  in  my  experience. 

I  sold  a  coat  and  pair  of  trousers  from  Emin's  things : 
the  price  was  thirty  heads  of  Indian  corn.     Food  is  expensive 


1887.]  FUBTHER   EXPEBIENCES   AT  IPO  TO.  151 

here.  We  are,  however,  fortunate  in  being  able  to  get  plenty 
of  native  tobacco,  which  helps  to  make  the  burden  of  existence 
more  tolerable.  We  also  while  away  the  time  by  reading  : 
we  have  a  good  stock  of  light  literature  to  drown  ennui  with. 
To-day,  I  finished  Edwin  Arnold's  "  Light  of  Asia,"  which  I 
enjoyed  very  much. 

Nelson  has  now  been  here  thirty-five  days.     Tempus  fugit. 
Our  milch  goat  is  running  dry:  no  wonder!  as  there  are 
her  own  kid,  Nelson  and  myself,  with  our  two   boys,  con- 
tinually at  her,  which  must  prove  a  formidable  drain  on  her 
system. 

Dec.  9. — I  cannot  make  out  what  the  chiefs  want :  they 
have  developed  a  spasmodic   attack  of  generosity.     I   grow 

more  uneasy — 

....  timco  Daiiaos  et  dona  ferentes. 

— but  I  may  be  unjust.  Ismailia  came  to-day  with  three 
fishes  and  some  Indian  flour  (or  meal) :  enough  for  a  sub- 
stantial dinner  for  us.  We  also  made  a  good  bargain  to-day  : 
as  I  got  seventy  heads  of  Indian  corn,  in  exchange  for  a 
merino  vest  of  Emin's.  An  expedition  has  evidently  returned 
— a  suffari  (or  ruga-ruga)  laden  with  much  ivory — as  there  is 
a  great  deal  of  firing  of  guns  in  the  village,  which  is  a  sure 
indication. 

Our  chief  (I  mean  Mr.  Stanley)  must  have  heard  of  Emin 
Pasha  by  this  time,  as  the  latter  will  have  received  despatches 
from  Zanzibar,  and  have  made  some  preparations  for  the 
approach  of  his  friends. 

Dec.  10. — Nelson  was  very  feverish  last  night :  temp. 
104°  F.,  with  other  bad  symptoms.  He  sleeps  very  badly, 
and  has,  of  course,  little  or  no  appetite  for  any  nourishment. 
Under  the  circumstances,  it  might  be  said  that  this  is 
providential.     Very  heavy  rain  fell  last  night. 

Our  lives  here  are  made  a  continuous  torment  by  the 
shoals  of  flies,  fleas,  lice,  ants,  and  all  sorts  of  abominable 
creeping  things — the  variety  appears  endless.  It  is  rather 
annoying  to  reflect  that  if  we  had  here  only  a  moderate  stock 
of  the  very  worst  description  of  calico,  we  could  have  a  mar- 
ket every  morning,  and  live  all  day  "  like  fighting  cocks." 
As  it  is,  we  hava  nothing  to  give  ;  and,  as  a  necessary  con- 
sequence, nothing  to  receive,  from  these  people. 

Dec.  11. — To-day  Ismailia  brought  us   some  cooked    food 


152  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

for  the   first   time_,  wliich  we   ate  with    greedy  relish.     The 
menu  consisted  of  rice  and  goat. 

Nelson  is  much  improved  ;  the  fever  has  left  him,  and  he^ 
accordingly,  feels  easy  and  comparatively  comfortable.  I 
made  the  remainder  of  the  rifles  (five  in  number)  unservice- 
able. I  could  not,  however,  take  out  more  than  two  of  the 
springs,  as  we  have  no  screw-driver. 

Dec.  12. — I  went  out  for  a  shot  to-day,  but  got  none.  The 
Manyuema  are  constantly  discharging  their  tower  muskets,  in 
order  to  frighten  off  elephants  and  other  trespassers  from  their 
crojDS ;  this  practice  keeps  all  game  at  a  respectful  distance  from 
us.  Besides,  walking  is  very  difficult  here,  as  the  garden  is 
a  forest-clearing,  so  that  one  is  sometimes  walking  along  the 
trunks  of  fallen  trees  at  a  height  of  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  from  the 
ground ;  at  other  times  among  a  dense  under-growth,  through 
which  it  is  very  difficult  to  force  one's  way.  So  the  game  is 
not  worth  the  candle,  as  sprains  and  strains  are  very  common. 

Nelson  never  slept  a  wink  last  night,  although  he  had  two 
grains  of  opium  to  quiet  his  nerves.  Accordingly  he  is  very 
far  from  well,  although  his  fever  has  left  him  for  the  present ;. 
and  he  is  extremely  irritable. 

I  discovered  that  my  boy  Sherif  has  been  stealing  the 
Eemington  cartridges  ;  but  I  cannot  do  more  than  threaten 
him.  If  I  use  any  violence,  he  goes  straight  off  to  the  Many- 
uema. I  have  opened  most  of  the  boxes  of  ammunition,  and 
dried  the  cartridges,  which  had  often  been  submerged  on  the 
march,  so  that  they  were  thoroughly  saturated. 

Dec.  13. — Went  out  shooting  to-day,  but  got  nothing.  I 
sold  some  more  items  from  Emin  Pasha's  damaged  kit,  for  food 
for  ourselves  and  our  boys.  Poor  Nelson  is  very  nervous  and 
irritable ;  the  direct  result  of  the.  weakness  produced  by  his- 
illness,  and  aggravated  by  starvation  and  want  of  sleep. 

Sangaramcni  gave  us  six  cups  of  rice.  One  never  gets  ta 
sleep  here  till  daybreak;  it  is  one  long,  continuous  scratch,, 
scratch  :  these  detestable  vermin ! 

Dec.  14. — The  chiefs  have  commenced  to  construct  a  new 
village  at  the  opposite  end  of  the  chamba.  Even  they  cannot 
bear  the  filth  and  stench  of  the  present  position  any  longer. 
They  commenced  building  their  own  huts  first;  they  are  con- 
structing them  of  boards,  which  they  make  by  splitting  the 
cotton  tree  into  different   lengths,  with  a  thatched  roof  of 


1887.]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPOTO.  153 

leaves,  and  a  verandah — about  fifteen  yards  in  length,  by  five 
yards  in  breadth,  and  ten  in  height.  This  structure  includes 
a  granary,  to  store  aAvay  rice  and  corn.  In  the  huts  which 
they  have  been  living  in,  there  are  circular  bins  in  the  centre, 
in  which  they  store  their  grain.  The  frame-work  of  most  of 
the  new  huts  is  made  of  poles  of  different  sizes,  with  rods  inter- 
woven, and  the  interstices  filled  with  earth.  There  is  also  a 
strong  boma  (zareeba)  of  interwoven  saplings  about  six  feet 
high,  surrounding  the  back  of  the  house,  where  the  women 
bruise  (twanga)  the  corn,  and  grind  it  with  stones.  A  latrine  is 
included,  consisting  of  the  usual  Arab  items  :  a  deep  pit  dug  in 
the  ground,  an  external  covering,  a  square  foot  of  permanently 
open  orifice  on  the  top.     There  is  also  the  harem  enclosure. 

Nelson,  poor  chap,  is  still  very  seedy.  He  often  talks  about 
never  getting  home,  which  helps  to  enliven  the  surroundings. 

Dec.  15. — Spent  the  day  in  bed,  as  I  am  unable  to  walk  on 
account  of  enlarged  glands  in  the  upper  part  of  tlie  front  of  my 
left  thigh.  I  developed  these  decorations  from  my  over-walk- 
ing and  jumping  in  search  of  a  shot  the  other  day.  I  calculate 
that  it  will  lay  me  up  for  a  month,  and  that  I  will  have  to  use 
the  knife  on  myself.  An  inspiring  anticipation,  surely,  under 
my  circumstances  :  Nelson  not  being  able  to  walk  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards,  for  a  shot — or  for  anything  else.  The  poor 
fellow  is  nothing  but  skin  and  bone,  and  the  skin  is  broken  in 
several  places,  especially  over  the  back  (sacrum)  and  hips 
(trochanters),  where  he  has  large  bed-sores. 

Dec.  16. — Dreadful  news  to-day;  our  milch  goat  has  been 
lost ;  or,  to  state  the  fact  more  correctly,  has  been  stolen.  This 
is  a  terrible  business  for  us — we  will  now  have  but  rice  and 
porridge,  and  I  will  be  confined  to  bed  for  a  long  time  to  come, 
as  there  is  very  great  inflammatory  swelling  about  my  left  hip 
and  thigh,  with  a  decidedly  erysipelatous-looking  blush,  and 
an  accompanying  temjoerature  of  100^  F.  I  am  sure  I've  got 
blood-poisoning,  from  the  continual  handling  of  the  ulcers  from 
which  so  many  of  our  men  are  suffering ;  and  the  condition  is 
necessarily  aggravated  by  the  results  of  the  wretched  dieting 
to  which  I  have  been  so  long  obliged  to  accommodate  myself. 

A  most  lovely  sunset  this  evening !  One  would  like  to  be 
able  to  enjoy  it,  but  the  surroundings  are  rather  against  the 
full  appreciation  of  aesthetic  effects. 

Dec.  17. — Nelson  lies  in  his  hammock  durino-  the  greater 


154  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

part  of  the  day.  He  cannot  lie  on  any  hard  surface,  on  account 
of  liis  bed-sores.  He  now  comes  to  see  me,  instead  of  my 
going  to  see  him.  I  am  worse  to-day  ;  the  inflammation  is 
spreading  up  the  walls  of  the  abdomen,  and  down  the  left 
thigh,  and  the  scarlet  hue  of  the  surface  has  been  exchanged 
for  a  deep  livid  tint.  The  surface  pits  on  pressure,  and  there 
is  intense  pain.  No  position  is  comfortable  for  me.  I  injected 
some  cocaine,  with  the  intention  of  making  an  incision  to 
relieve  the  extreme  tension ;  but  I  postponed  (or  rather 
''  funked  ")  the  latter  performance  till  to-morrow. 

No  news  of  our  goat.  I  tried  to-day  to  sell  my  shot-gun 
(value  £25)  for  a  goat,  but  could  not  get  one  of  my  accommo- 
dating neighbours  to  make  the  exchange. 

Three  Manyuema  were  killed  by  natives  yesterday. 

Dec.  18. — I  have  now  been  here  exactly  two  months,  and 
must  say  that  I  sincerely  hope  no  other  white  man  will  ever 
be  left  among  these  barbarous  Manyuema  for  so  long  a  time. 
They  have  plenty  of  food,  but  will  not  give  us  a  share,  although 
we  have  now  sold  them  everything  that  we  can  possibly  dis- 
pense with. 

Dec.  19. — Nelson  is  very  weak — so  far  gone,  indeed,  that 
he  will  certainly  die  if  he  is  attacked  by  any  acute  disease,  as 
he  has  no  strength  left  to  bear  up  against  it,  and  there  is  no 
nourishment  to  be  procured  for  him  by  any  means  I  know  of. 
It  is  really  heartrending  to  look  on  at  his  declining  condition, 
fading  as  he  is  day  by  day ;  so  much  so,  that  although  I  am 
glad  to  have  his  company,  I  would,  from  all  other  considera- 
tions, much  rather  be  alone. 

A  goat,  slightly  smoked,  was  brought  to  us  to-day.  I  fully 
believe  it  is  our  own  which  they  treated  in  this  way.  A  suffari 
came  in,  and  Sangarameni  brought  us  a  few  cups  of  corn.  T 
gave  myself  a  large  injection  of  cocaine,  as  a  local  anaesthetic, 
and  Nelson  operated  on  me.  He  made  an  incision  about  two 
inches  in  length,  and  two  in  depth  :  then  quickly  disappeared 
from  my  tent.  A  very  profuse  hremorrhage  followed,  which 
weakened  me  considerably.  I  was  to  have  had  two  incisions, 
but  the  one  he  gave  me  was  as  much  as  I  cared  to  experience. 
Poor  fellow !  he  used  to  be  called  by  the  men  "  Tandada- 
mwana,"  the  Swahili  term  meaning  "  big  man,"  on  account  of 
his  size  and  strength ;  and  now  ho  is  reduced  to  a  walking- 
skeleton  of  135  lbs.  wciiiht. 


1887.]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPO  TO.  155 

Dec.  20. — I  have  been  greatly  relieved  by  the  operation.  I 
got  a  few  snatches  of  sleep  last  night,  but  always  awoke  with  a 
start  at  the  least  noise.  I  am  quite  unstrung  by  my  anxious 
fears  about  the  ammunition  and  rifles ;  we  are  so  badly  able  to 
watch  them  now,  or  prevent  their  being  stolen.  We  were 
obliged  to-day  to  give  a  Eemington  rifle  to  a  chief  for  a  goat, 
so  as  to  have  some  meat  for  Christmas.  I  also  sold  one  of 
Emin's  flannel  vests.  At  this  rate  we  can  hold  out  but  for  a 
month  or  so ;  and  Mr.  Stanley  writes  to  say  that  we  may  be 
relieved  after  three  months  !  Nelson  is  so  ill  from  fever  that 
he  could  not  retain  his  breakfast  this  morning. 

Dec.  21. — I  got  eight  heads  of  corn  for  professional  services 
this  morning.  The  chiefs  paid  us  a  visit,  and  arranged  to  give 
us  two  milch  goats,  and  a  third,  which  was  to  be  eaten,  at  the 
rate  of  a  rifle  each.  The  latter  soon  arrived — a  skeleton  ! 
The  second  chief  then  announced  by  message  that  his  female 
goat  was  enceinte,  under  which  circumstances  he  expects  thirty 
cartridges  extra.  The  third  chief  sent  us  a  7aale  goat,  repre- 
senting his  idea  of  keeping  his  contract  for  a  milch  one.  So 
we  did  not  give  our  rifles. 

We  are  now  collecting  our  nice  things  for  Christmas.  To- 
day we  bought  a  lot  of  insects — they  look  half  bee  and  half 
grub — which  are  found  in  the  soil  here,  and  are  said  to  be  a 
luxury. 

Dec.  22. — There  is  great  excitement  throughout  the  village 
to-day.  Guns  are  flred  oft'  in  all  directions,  to  announce  the 
arrival  of  the  advance  guard  of  Kilonga  Longa,  who  is  the 
head  chief  of  this  and  several  similar  settlements  of  ivory- 
hunters  in  the  depths  of  the  African  continent.  This  "  swell " 
is  himself  under  the  command  of  Abed  Bin  Salim,  an  i^rab 
of  great  importance  in  the  trade.  His  men  say  that  Kilonga 
Longa  is  still  ten  days  off. 

Last  night,  I  had  to  go  out  of  my  tent  and  describe  for 
myself  a  fiery  circle,  within  which  I  lay  to  protect  myself  from 
the  ants.  These  brutes  had  besieged  me  in  my  tent,  and 
ended  by  expelling  me.  Within  the  zone  of  combustion  I 
was,  of  course,  safe  enough,  as  they  frizzled  up  when  they 
approached  the  red-hot  embers.  Their  business  habits  are 
certainly  most  systematic ;  they  travel  (in  myriads)  in  long 
array,  arranged  about  eighty  abreast.  I  have  seen  such  a 
column  pass  through  my  tent — taking  complete  possession — 


156  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

for  twenty-four  successive  liours.  As  they  travel  very  fast,  I 
am  sure  such  a  column  was  several  miles  in  length.  They 
have  their  generals  and  staff,  scouts,  commissariat,  transport, 
and  intelligence  dejiartments,  &c.,  &c. ;  and,  even  without 
the  employment  of  red  tape,  they  make  a  most  formidable 
enemy,  as  you  learn  to  your  cost  when  you  have  disturbed  the 
harmony  of  their  progress. 

Dec.  23.— I  am  much  better  to-day,  although  not  yet  able 
to  walk  more  than  five  or  ten  yards  without  resting.  The 
erysipelas  still  lingers,  and  the  temperature  remains  high. 
There  is  great  redness  and  swelling,  with  extreme  tension, 
jSTelson  gave  me  a  real  good  cut — and  the  consequent  loss  of 
blood  made  me  feel  quite  faint.  I  do  hope  that  we  may  be 
able  to  come  to  .terms  with  Kilonga  Longa  about  food  ;  for  I 
have  by  this  time  learned  to  think,  with  many  others,  that  the 
stomach  really  governs  the  world  after  all. 

Dec.  24. — The  pain  from  my  erysipelas  was  very  intense  to- 
day ;  so  bad  that  I  was  unable  to  get  out  of  bed.  We  bought 
some  "  nousoir,"  made  from  pounded  ants.  These  animals  are 
caught  by  the  artifice  of  making  a  hole  close  to  an  ant-heap, 
placing  a  little  fire  in  it,  and  then  covering  it  up.  The  ants 
are  attracted  by  the  heat ;  and,  in  the  morning  they  are  col- 
lected, pounded  in  a  Jchino,  and  cooked.  The  mess  so  prepared 
eats  like  caviare.  The  white  ants  make  the  more  palatable 
viand. 

Two  of  the  chiefs  have  gone  with  food  to  meet  Kilonga 
Longa.  Last  night  Ismailia  came  and  told  in  a  confidential 
way  that  we  had  better  buy  sufficient  food  for  ten  days,  as 
Kilonga  Longa's  people  Avould  eat  up  everything  when  they 
arrived.  This  phihmthropic  suggestion  was,  of  course,  made 
for  the  purpose  of  drawing  us  into  buying  food  from  him. 
However,  we  did  not  mind  him,  as  we  have  secured  a  goat, 
some  beans,  and  some  corn,  for  to-morrow's  feast :  which  both 
of  us  purpose  partaking  in  bed,  as  neither  is  in  a  fit  state  to 
rise  or  move  about. 

Omar,  one  of  our  Zanzibaris,  came  to  me  this  evening  with 
a  great  spear-wound  in  his  back,  from  which  he  must  die. 
Poor  lad !  ho  was  caught  stealing  food,  and  a  spear-head  was 
driven  straight  into  him. 

Dec.  25. — I  spent  the  day  in  bed,  lying  on  our  ammunition 
boxes.     My  temperature  was  102°,  and  my  erysipelas  worse. 


1887.]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPOTO.  157 

The  latter  is  now  extending  down  the  left  leg.  I  am  greatly 
afraid  that  this  thing  will  keep  me  on  my  back  for  a  long 
time.  Nelson,  I  am  glad  to  say,  is  now  better.  He  super- 
intended the  dinner,  which  consisted  of  goat  and  rice.  I  wish 
all  my  friends  at  home  a  happier  Christmas  than  I  myself 
can  enjoy. 

Dec.  26. — My  erysipelas  came  to  a  stand-still  during  last 
night ;  I  keep  fomenting  it  all  day.  Nelson  is  very  attentive 
to  me,  but  whenever  he  comes  in  he  begins  scratching,  and 
the  example  cannot  be  resisted.  Some  Manyuema  came  to 
us  for  shirts  to-day,  so  we  opened  Emin's  bale  again,  and  took 
out  four,  which  went  for  comparatively  little  food.  Those 
men  who  did  not  get  a  shirt  declared  that  they  would  stab 
our  boys  on  their  way  for  water.  They  have  shown  themselves, 
to  our  knowledge,  quite  capable  of  such  deeds  of  revenge ;  for 
the  chief  Ismailia  cut  off  a  slave  girl's  hand  at  the  wrist  only 
a  few  days  ago,  for  some  trivial  offence. 

Another  month,  and  all  our  Zanzibaris  will  be  dead  from 
starvation  !  Twelve  have  disappeared  already  of  the  twenty- 
seven  we  were  left,  and  I  feel  certain  that  some  of  them  have 
been  eaten  by  the  villagers  ;  for  it  is  not  uncommon  to  find  in 
the  forest  the  ashes  of  a  dead  fire,  with  human  bones  close  by. 
We  have  been  saved  up  to  the  present  from  a  similar  fate  by 
judicious  disposal  of  our  clothes  and  rifles,  with  Emin's  kit, 
shirts,  drawers,  buttons,  and  tarboush.  Peradventure  when 
Kilonga  Longa  comes,  he  may  look  upon  his  white  servants 
with  an  eye  of  favour.  I  will  hope.  Is  it  not  possible  that 
one  just  man  may  be  found,  even  in  an  Arab  settlement? 
Kilonga  Longa  has  been  accustomed  to  white  men.  I  can 
only  trust  that  they  made  a  favourable  impression  on  him. 

Dec.  27. — Our  position  here  is  not  without  its  comic  side, 
for  we  are  all  cripples — our  two  boys  included  ;  and  are  in  the 
worst  possible  humour  with  our  surroundings,  aggravated,  of 
course,  by  weakness,  fever,  dirt,  starvation,  and  the  detestable 
Manyuema — who  push  themselves  into  our  tents  without 
asking  our  leave,  squat  on  our  beds,  and  break  the  tenth 
commandment  in  presence  of  every  article  of  our  pro^Jerty. 
We  purchased  bananas  to-day,  for  pins  and  needles.  The 
Manyuema  make  a  very  serviceable  grass  cloth  which  they 
dye  with  a  variety  of  colours,  and  sew  with  grass  thread  and  a 
needle  made  of  rattan  cane,  with  eye  complete.    The  chiefs  have 


158  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1887. 

ordered  us  to  give  up  our  but  to  Kilonga  Longa's  people  :  it 
has  been  our  only  protection  during  the  burning  heat  of 
the  day. 

Dec.  28. — Another  man,  Bin  Ali  Kombo,  died  to-day,  of 
starvation.  Khamisi,  the  head  chief,  came  to  me  this  morning 
complaining  of  sickness  and  wanting  to  be  doctored,  so  I 
thought  I  would  ''take  it  out  of  him"  by  keeping  the  line  of 
communication  open ;  but  I  confess  that  I  am  growing  a  little 
anxious  now,  as  he  has  not  been  able  to  find  his  legs  since. 

Another  serio-comic  difficulty  in  our  way :  we  find  the 
milking  of  our  goat  a  terrible  task — to  say  the  least  of  it. 
She  is  very  strong,  and  we  are  all  cripples :  so  she  leads  all 
five  of  us  a  merry  dance,  whenever  we  try  to  obtain  some 
of  the  innocent  beverage.  What  makes  matters  worse  is, 
that  she  seems  to  have  the  power  of  retaining  her  milk,  in 
spite  of  most  strenuous  exertions,  after  we  have  succeeded  in 
bringing  her  to  a  stand-still. 

Dec.  29. — I  am  now  able  to  move  a  little  ;  so  I  had  a  bath 
this  morning — the  first  for  a  good  number  of  days.  Nelson,  I 
am  glad  to  say,  is  also  improving.  The  beans  and  corn  which 
we  planted  have  now  grown  to  a  foot  in  height.  In  this 
country  the  corn  is  ready  to  be  used  for  food  within  three 
months  from  the  date  of  sowing  the  seed  :  the  beans  are  ripe 
in  two  months.  The  weeds  grow  most  luxuriantly ;  and  there 
is  great  trouble  in  keeping  them  down,  which  appears  to  be 
the  great  drawback  in  nature's  beneficence. 

The  chiefs,  Sangarameni  and  Makabolo,  returned  to-day : 
they  went  only  as  far  as  Nelson's  camp.  Ismailia  continued 
his  march  to  meet  Kilonga  Longa. 

We  are  having  the  last  of  our  rice  to-night.  We  have  still, 
however,  a  cup  of  beans  left  for  to-morrow.  We  are  all  im- 
proving, and  are,  consequently,  in  better  spirits  and  temper 
than  we  have  been  enjoying  for  some  time. 

A  very  heavy  thunderstorm  broke  over  us  last  night,  which 
was  preceded  by  a  violent  tornado. 

Dec.  30.— 

Dec.  31. — The  last  day  of  the  old  year !  Let  us  hope  that 
the  new  one  will  be  a  little  more  pleasant.  I  am  making  a 
bad  finish  anyhow ;  as  I  have  got  a  relapse  of  my  erysipelas, 
Avith  a  temperature  of  104°,  and  am  unable  to  move. 

Khamisi  came  up  to  my  tent  to-day,  and  informed  me  that 


1887.]  FURTHER   EXPERIENCES  AT  IPO  TO.  159 

he  had  been  very  uneasy  since  he  took  the  medicine,  but  was 
not  at  all  disposed  to  deny  its  beneficial  effects  :  he  suggested, 
however,  that  two — instead  of  four — tabloids  ("  Livingstone 
rousers  ")  would  be  enough  Avhen  it  became  desirable  to  give 
the  remedy  another  trial. 

These  rascally  chiefs  know  that  both  Nelson  and  myself  are 
confined  to  our  beds,  and  cannot  get  out  to  shoot  anything 
eatable ;  also  that  we  have  no  food  left  now :  yet  when  I  asked 
Ismailia  for  something  to  supply  us  for  the  morrow,  he  coolly 
replied  that  he  had  no  food  to  give.  The  wretch  !  I  will  try 
and  get  him  to  swallow  eight  tabloids  instead  of  four,  if  I  get 
the  chance  of  physicking  him  in  the  near  future.  Kilonga 
Longa  has  been  delayed  on  the  road  by  his  wife's  confinement ; 
so  he  will  not  be  here  for  some  days.  We  have  great  hopes  of 
getting  some  food  from  him ;  so  we  pray  that  Mrs.  Kilonga 
Longa  may  hurry  up,  for  we  must  live  in  the  interval  on 
fungi,  leaves,  and  any  other  small  items  we  may  be  lucky 
enough  to  get.  I  wish  she  Avas  more  considerate  and  reached 
here,  for  then  I  might  have  got  a  fee ;  although  such  cases  are 
not  my  specialty,  I  must  confess.     Auld  lang  syne  ! 


IGO  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

A   STUDY   OF   BACTERIOLOGY. 

The  village  of  Ipoto — Condition  of  Nelson  and  myself — "We  talk  aloout  the 
causation  of  disease — Our  slumbers  are  disturbed  by  visions  of  disease 
generators — Account  of  some  of  the  disease-producing  agents — Leeuwen- 
hoek's  work  entitled  "Arcana  Naturae  Detecta'" — The  discovery  of 
microbes  —  Miiller's  investigations — The  old  terra  animalcuhe — The 
Bacillus  anthracis  found  by  Davaine — Recent  progress  of  bacteriology — 
The  doctrine  of  biogenesis — The  amceba — The  human  ovum — Bacteria — 
Theory  of  Beauchamp,  the  French  scientist — Shapes  and  dimensions  of 
microbes — Theory  of  the  bacterial  origin  of  disease — M.  jNIiqiiel's  calcula- 
tions regarding  bacteria — M.  Pasteur  and  microbe  cultivation — Active 
mobility  of  bacteria — l^eprodaction  of  the  bacterium — Appearance  of 
bacteria  in  the  fluids  and  tissues  of  the  human  body — Professor  Koch  and 
diseases  of  bacterial  origin — Bacteria  and  the  tissues  of  the  animal 
organism — Phac/ocytes  and  leucocytes — The  "attenuation  of  the  virus" 
— Professor  Toussaint  and  protective  inoculation — Forms  and  colours 
of  microbes  —  Piebald  state  of  our  bodies — Fresh  eggs  not  laid  in 
Africa — Theft  by  my  boy  Sherif — A  suitable  place  for  a  missionary 
station — Arrival  of  Kilonga  Longa  and  his  caravan — Also  some  of  our 
missing  Zanzibaris — A  nocturnal  thief — Capture  and  punishment  of 
Kamaroni — Kilonga  Longa  and  other  chiefs  pay  us  a  state  visit — Discuss- 
ing Mr.  Stanley's  agreement  regarding  food  supply — Nelson  and  I  are 
driven  into  a  state  of  temporary  insanity  by  the  itching — Heavy  rains 
and  their  effect — I^ack  of  good  nature  among  the  Manyuema  and  our 
Zauzibaris — My  poor  donkey  in  trouble — Another  column  of  ants — a 
]\Ianyuema  medicine  man — The  Zanzibaris  apply  to  Kilonga  Longa  for 
fuod — Massage— A  slave  set  on  by  his  comrades  and  eaten — Arab  customs 
practised  by  the  Manyuema. 

Jan.  1,  1888. — A  liappy  New  Year  to  all  relations  and 
friends !  We  have  two  onions  and  a  cup  of  rice  to  provision 
all  five  of  lis  for  the  day.  I  had  another  relapse  of  my 
erysipelas  last  night,  so  I  do  not  feel  quite  so  bright  as  I  could 
wish.  In  the  evening  we  sold  a  Eemington  rifle,  for  500  heads 
of  corn  and  some  rice. 

I  do  not  think  I  noted  before  that  this  village  is  situated 
almost  on  the  Equator ;  Ipoto  is  its  name,  and  Mabambi  is 
that  of  the  native  chief.  I  passed  away  most  of  my  useless 
time  as  I  lay  in  bed  to-day  in  meditating  on  my  position  and 
calculating  on  our  future  movements,  if  we  ever  get  the  chance 


1888.]  A   STUDY   OF  BACTEBIOLOGY.  161 

of  making  any :  according  to  my  reckoning  it  will  be  eighteen 
months  before  we  get  home. 

Jan.  2. — I  am  much  better  to-day  ;  but  Nelson  is  still  very 
prostrate.  His  temperature  is  very  high,  and  his  febrile 
symptoms  very  severe.  It  is  hard  to  say,  indeed,  which  would 
obtain  first  prize  as  the  greater  cripple. 

In  the  waning  light  of  last  evening,  Nelson  and  myself,  for 
want  of  a  more  inspiring  topic  of  conversation,  descanted  upon 
the  causation  of  disease.  The  subject  was  sufficiently  con- 
venient to  hand,  as  the  temperature  of  each  of  us  was  over 
101'^  F.  At  first  the  discussion  seemed  to  have  a  rather 
soothing  effect,  as  we  supplied  one  another  with  a  good  deal 
of  mutual  sympathy  ;  but,  as  the  prolonged  talking  came  to 
increase  our  sense  of  physical  weakness,  we  began  to  feel  the 
worse  for  it  bye-and-bye.  From  the  discussion  we  gradually 
subsided  into  an  unquiet  sleep ;  the  rest  derived  from  Avhich 
was  sadly  interfered  with  by  the  feverish  visions  of  the  disease- 
generators,  whose  forms  and  functions  we  had  been  picturing 
to  ourselves  during  the  recent  waking  hours.  Our  heated 
brains  soon  magnified  the  microscopic  entities,  to  whose  pre- 
sence in  our  vessels  and  tissues  we  had  been  attributing  our 
present  condition,  to  forms  of  colossal  dimensions.  On  com- 
paring notes  in  the  morning,  we  found  that  our  sleeping  ideas 
had  been  running  on  nearly  parallel  lines,  and  the  grotesque 
mental  creations  which  accompanied  us  during  the  night  gave 
us,  perhaps,  the  least  refreshing  slumbers  which  we  have 
enjoyed  since  our  arrival  at  Ipoto.  The  phantoms  of  these 
destructive  agents  assumed  the  '  forms  of  every  malignant 
spirit  or  demon  of  which  we  had  heard  or  read  since  infancy ; 
and  their  united  hosts  were  sufficient,  in  our  disordered  imagi- 
nations, to  overspread,  not  only  the  inhospitable  Manyuema 
camp,  but  an  indefinite  area  of  the  adjacent  forest.  They 
frequently  changed  their  shapes  with  the  inexplicable  rapidity 
of  all  creations  of  the  sleeping  brain,  especially  when  under 
the  influence  of  disease  ;  and  their  kaleidoscopic  combinations 
were  of  far  too  great  variety  for  memory  to  re-create  next  day. 
The  prevailing  wish  with  either  dreamer  appears  to  have  been 
that  they  would  depart  from  our  immediate  vicinity,  and  con- 
centrate all  their  attention  on  our  inhospitable  hosts  in  the 
neighbouring  camp  ;  for  whom  their  appearance  and  apparent 
intentions  would  seem  to  constitute  them  suitable  company. 

M 


162  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

But,  alas !  our  will-power  was  all  too  weak  to  influence  their 
movements ;  they  hovered  over  us  with  all  the  indications  of 
persistent  malevolence,  and  seemed  to  exist  but  for  the  un- 
divided purpose  of  our  destruction.  We  cordially  welcomed 
the  morning  light,  which  effectually  relieved  us  from  their 
presence,  and  we  vowed  that  during  the  rest  of  our  illness  we 
would  devote  none  of  our  waking  energies  to  the  further  dis- 
cussion of  the  forms  or  life-histories  of  any  of  the  invisible 
pests,  Avhose  career  we  had  been  trying  to  follow  in  last 
evening's  twilight. 

[The  visions  of  that  night  have  often  recurred  to  me  since 
my  return  to  the  regions  of  civilisation  and  science :  I  have 
found  that  one  of  the  most  serious  tasks  awaiting  me  on  my 
return  home  was  the  unavoidable  duty  of  endeavouring  to 
make  myself  acquainted  in  some  measure  with  the  enormous 
numbers  of  disease-producing  agents,  which  the  rapid  advances 
oi  bacteriological  investigation  have  brought  under  the  notice 
of  the  scientist  of  the  present  day.  Accordingly,  as  the 
subject  is  one  which  has  excited  interest  among  reading  and 
thinking  people,  of  every  race  and  of  every  class,  I  will  here 
give,  in  language  as  simple  and  direct  as  I  can,  an  account  of 
the  principal  facts  of  which  we  now  hold  undisputed  possession 
in  this  most  interesting  and  most  important  department  of 
biology. 

As  the  dimensions  of  any  of  the  minute  parasites,  with  the 
presence  of  which  the  morbid  processes  that  affect  the  human 
organism  appear  to  be  inseparably  connected,  are  far  too 
diminutive  to  come  within  the  range  of  unaided  vision,  all 
knowledge  of  their  appearance,  or  even  of  their  existence,  has 
necessarily  followed  the  invention  of  the  microscope.  Accord- 
ingly, the  first  recorded  observations  on  these  organisms  are 
those  of  the  famous  Dutch  naturalist,  Leeuwenhoek,  by  whom 
they  were  embodied  in  a  work  entitled  "  Arcana  Natura) 
Detecta,"  which  was  published  at  Delft  in  the  year  1695.  •  It 
is  hardly  known  to  the  scientist  of  the  present  day,  but  will 
still  well  repay  the  trouble  of  consulting  its  pages.  As  the 
lenses  used  by  this  author  were  absolutely  primitive,  and  their 
magnifying  power  never  exceeded  200  diameters,  the  range 
and  the ;  exactness  of  his  observations  furnish  the  highest 
testimony  to  liis  industry  and  accuracy.  He  found  minute 
organisms  in  various  specimens  of  dust,  in  those  of  scrapings 


1888.]  A    STUDY   OF  BACTERIOLOGY.  163 

collected  from  sundry  surfaces,  and  in  the  interstices  of 
different  mosses ;  he  afterwards  brought  his  investigations  to 
bear  on  the  human  body,  and  demonstrated  the  presence  of 
microbes  in  saliva,  in  the  tartar  of  teeth,  and  in  the  intestinal 
juice  :  he  also  announced  the  fact,  which  has  had  its  practical 
importance  impressed  upon  the  world  only  of  very  recent 
years — that  the  number  of  intestinal  microbes  is  greatly 
increased  in  cases  of  diarrhoea. 

Leeuwenhoek  also  discovered  the  red  corpuscles  of  the  blood, 
and  announced  with  still  greater  enthusiasm,  his  observations 
on  the  Jiomunculus,  the  nature  and  properties  of  which  have 
been  facetiously  exhibited  to  the  every-day  English  reader  in 
the  familiar  pages  of  "  Tristram  Shandy." 

Although  the  discovery  of  the  microbe  was,  as  a  matter  of 
physical  necessity,  postponed  till  after  the  discovery  of  the 
utilisation  of  the  properties  of  refracted  light,  we  may  trace 
mystical  hints  of  their  existence — little  less  than  prophetic, 
considering  the  date  of  their  announcement — through  the 
writings  of  some  of  the  Greek  and  Eoman  philosophers :  in 
the  poetry  of  Lucretius,  and  in  the  prose  of  Aristotle.  The 
aphorism  of  the  former  : 

CoiTuptio  unius,  generatio  alterius 

might  well  be  adopted  as  a  motto  for  an  exhaustive  manual 
of  bacteriology  in  the  present  day. 

The  next  important  epoch  in  this  line  of  research  was  formed 
by  the  investigatious  of  Mliller,  who  divided  the  unlimited 
number  of  microscopic  beings — which  had  been  collected  by 
the  famous  naturalist,  Linnaeus,  into  one  group,  under  the 
comprehensive  name  of  cJiaos — into  two  great  genera :  monas 
and  vibrio.  These  denominations  still  continue  to  exist, 
although  the  nomenclature  of  their  author  has  been,  of  course, 
entirely  superseded. 

These  early  observers  had  noticed  the  movements  of  the 
minute  organisms  in  question,  and,  as  the  idea  of  spontaneous 
movement  had,  ever  since  the  days  of  Aristotle,  been  accepted 
as  the  absolute  characteristic  of  animal  life,  nobody  then 
thought  of  regarding  them  otherwise  than  as  members  of  the 
animal  kingdom.  They  were  generally  spoken  of  as  ani- 
malculw.  The  hitherto  unquestioned  dogma  of  the  Stagyrite 
was  overthrown  (in  1847)  by  Thuret,  whose  investigations  on  the 

M  2 


IGi  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 

zoospores  of  certain  algie,  demonstrated  that  some  of  the  lower 
vegetable  forms  exhibited  distinct  movements,  such  as  had  pre- 
viously been  looked  upon  as  characteristic  of  animal  existence. 
The  frequency  of  this  form  of  vegetable  locomotion,  and  its 
mechanism,  by  the  agency  of  vibratile  cilia,  were  amply  illus- 
trated by  Charles  Eobin,  in  1853,  in  his  interesting  and 
instructive  "  Traite  des  Vegetaux  Parasites."  Still  the  ideas 
of  natural  historians  on  the  subject  remained  vague  and 
unsettled.  The  earliest  discovery  of  the  existence  of  a  microbe 
in  diseased  animal  tissues  was  that  of  the  Bacillus  antliracis, 
found  by  Davaine  in  "malignant  pustule."  This  announce- 
ment was  made  in  1850 ;  and  the  observer,  who  had  noticed 
the  immobility  of  the  parasite,  suggested  that  such  forms 
should  be  distinguished  as  lacteridia,  and  referred  to  the 
natural  family  Oscillariacede,  while  those  endowed  with  spon- 
taneous movement,  must  still  be  regarded  as  members  of  the 
animal  kingdom,  and  known  as  bacteria.  Since  that  date, 
however,  all  authors  have  agreed  that  the  micro-organisms  in 
question  must  be,  without  any  exception,  referred  to  the 
vegetable  kingdom.  Where  they  are  to  be  located  there  is  a 
question  which  has  not,  however,  been  so  satisfactorily  settled. 
Some  will  connect  them  with  the  algw  ;  some  with  the  fungi : 
and  botanical  names  of  very  high  authority  are  connected 
with  either  view.  Nageli  has  proposed  the  collective  name  of 
scliizomycetes,  and  Cohn  that  of  schizopJiytes,  as  best  indicating 
their  general  nature.  The  generic  name  of  microhe  Avas  sug- 
gested by  Sedillot  (in  1878),  and  has  been  consecrated  by  the 
unique  etymological  authority  of  M.  Littre,  who  pronounced  it 
irreproachable.  This,  and  the  older  appellation  of  hacterium, 
are  the  ones  which  have  met  with  wide-spread  acceptance. 

Closely  connected  with  the  history  of  bacteriology,  is  that 
of  the  doctrine  of  biogenesis.  The  reality  of  spontaneous 
generation  has  been  very  ably  advocated  in  some  quarters, 
but  the  decision  is  now  as  nearly  universal  as  can  well  be 
hoped  for  in  case  of  any  scientific  dispute ;  and  it  is,  that 
Harvey's  aphorism,  Omne  vivum  ex  ovo,  must  be  accepted,  and 
that  no  new  form  suddenly  springs  into  existence,  but  always, 
owes  its  origin  to  a  parent  of  similar  characteristics.  I'ho 
tendency  of  modern  biological  investigation  has  also  been  to 
show  that  the  first  appearance  of  organic  life  on  our  planet 
was  of  tlic  simplest  form,  and  was  probably  represented  by  a 


1888.]  A    STUDY   OF  BACTEBIOLOGY.  165 

single  cell.  In  the  gradual  lapse  of  ages,  progressive  deve- 
lopment went  on  with  the  multiplication  of  living  types,  and 
the  division  of  labour  in  the  physiological  mechanism  led,  by 
very  gradual  stages,  to  the  building  up  of  the  complex  forms 
and  functions  which  now  prevail  in  the  animal  and  vegetable 
kingdoms.  A  definite,  and  probably  by  no  means  misleading, 
idea  of  the  primitive  form  may  be  gathered  in  the  present 
day  from  the  examination  of  the  structure  and  functions  of  a 
creature  of  microscopic  dimensions,  but  of  great  scientific 
celebrity — the  amoeba.  This  minute  organism  is  formed  of  a 
.slightly  granular  mass  of  jelly-like  matter  {i:)rotoplasm),  which 
presents  no  definite  shape,  as  it  is  always  thrusting  out  pro- 
cesses (pseiidoj>odia)  in  all  directions  ;  by  the  aid  of  which  it 
performs  progressive  gliding  or  rolling  movements,  in  such  a 
striking  way  as  to  have  of  late  years  furnished  a  classic 
phrase  to  the  scientific  vocabulary  of  the  English  language. 
Its  accommodating  structure  allows  it  to  flow  over  and  draw 
into  its  own  interior  microscopic  vegetable  organisms  which 
come  in  its  way,  a  portion  of  which  becomes  digested  and 
assimilated,  after  which  the  residue  is  expelled  from  the  most 
convenient  part  of  the  surface  of  its  body.  When  touched  by 
liny  external  object  whose  acquaintance  it  does  not  seem 
desirous  of  cultivating,  it  is  at  once  seen  to  move  in  instant 
response  to  the  irritation  applied.  And  so  the  ama3ba  lives  its 
simple  life.  It  reproduces  its  own  image  by  the  formation  of 
a  constriction  around  some  part  of  the  jelly-like  mass,  which 
goes  on  deepening,  till  a  separate  portion  has  been  cut  off,  and 
at  once  proceeds  to  live  an  independent  existence  precisely 
similar  to  that  of  its  parent.  Thus  the  amoeba  moves,  without 
defined  ^  limbs ;  eats  and  digests,  without  mouth,  teeth,  or 
alimentary  canal;  presents  the  phenomena  of  sensibility, 
without  a  trace  of  a  nervous  system ;  and,  under  favourable 
circumstances,  will  increase  and  multiply  in  endless  numbers, 
without  any  distinction  of  sex,  or  a  trace  of  diiferentiation  of 
sexual  organs. 

Xow  the  highest  existing  form  of  animal  life — man  himself 
— begins  life  as  a  single  cell  (called  the  ovum),  the  intimate 
structure  of  which  does  not  appear  to  differ  in  any  specific 
features  from  that  of  our  modest  friend,  the  aniceba.  It  cannot 
perform  the  free  movements  of  the  amoeba,  for  it  is  imbedded 
in  the  animal  body,  and  has  to  adapt  itself  to  its  surroundings ; 


1G6  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.        [1888. 

and  its  changes  of  position  are  rather  passive  than  active.  It 
multiplies,  by  division  of  its  own  substance,  as  does  the 
amoeba ;  but  not  beyond  a  certain  definite  limit.  And  with  the 
further  history  of  these  descendants  of  the  original  ovum,  may 
be  traced  the  specific  differences  which  arise  with  the  higher 
specialization  of  tissues  and  functions  as  we  ascend  the  scale  in 
the  animal  kingdom.  No  specialization  of  any  kind  can  be 
observed  in  the  minute  speck  of  protoplasm  which  forms  the 
body  of  our  primitive  amoeba.  And,  as  we  ascend  in  the  vari- 
ous gradations  of  animal  life,  the  one  great  principle  which 
underlies  all  the  distinctive  differences  observed  between  the 
lower  and  higher  forms  is  that  of  the  division  of  physiological 
labour  among  the  constituent  cells.  The  humblest  citizen  of 
the  animal  kingdom  is  an  undifferentiated  cell :  the  highest  is 
formed  of  a  countless  number  of  these  elementary  structures, 
variously  modified,  and  set  apart  to  perform  definite  functions 
in  their  respective  positions  in  the  economy ;  but  all  descended 
from  a  single  (and  simple)  parent  cell — the  ovum.  And  all 
varieties  of  intermediate  forms  are  found,  in  which  the  great 
distinction  is  the  earlier  or  later  period  of  the  arrest  of  the 
apj)lication  of  this  same  principle  of  physiological  division 
of  labour.  So  that,  perhaps,  the  strongest  of  all  arguments 
in  favour  of  the  principle  of  evolution,  is  the  fact  that  the 
life-history  of  each  higher  plant  and  animal  presents  an 
epitome  of  that  of  every  organism  which  happens  to  stand 
lower  than  itself  in  the  developmental  scale  of  its  kingdom. 

But,  while  this  predominant  law  of  progressively  increasing 
complexity  of  structure  has  been  governing  the  visible 
members  of  the  animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms,  a  great  group 
of  humble  plants,  so  small  as  to  be  unnoticeable  by  the  naked 
eye,  and  so  numerous  as  to  tax  the  calculating  powers  of  the 
advanced  mathematician,  appear  to  have  continued  to  live  and 
multiply  in  their  primitive  state  of  structural  simplicity.  The 
minuteness  of  their  size  accounts  for  the  fact  that  their  exist- 
ence has  become  known  to  man  only  in  the  latter  days  ;  they 
are  his  microscopic  contemporaries,  and  his  possible  ancestors  ; 
they  have  alternately  been  described,  according  to  the  point  of  • 
view  from  which  tliey  have  been  regarded,  as  man's  invisible 
— but  most  important — friends,  and  as  man's  deadliest  foes. 
Those  are  the  BACTERIA. 

The  long-disputed  question  as  to  which  organic  kingdom 


1888.]  ■    A    STUDY   OF  BACTERIOLOGY.  1G7 

they  really  belonged,  has  now  been  for  some  years  settled,  by 
their  mianimons  recognition  as  plants,  and  their  established 
relationship  (preferably)  to  the  alga:>.  These  minute  organ- 
isms vary  a  good  deal  in  shape,  but  the  great  majority  con- 
form to  three  outline  groups :  spheroidal  or  ovoidal  {coccus, 
■micro-coccus) ;  rod-shaped  (bacillus)  ;  and,  spiral  or  corkscrew- 
shaped  {spirillum).  They  appear  under  the  microscope  as 
pale,  translucent  bodies ;  whose  outlines,  to  be  made  distinct, 
must  be  stained  with  some  of  the  aniline  dyes.  The  majority 
move,  during  life,  with  extraordinary  activity,  and  perform 
curiously  complicated  series  of  gymnastic  exercises  as  we  watch 
them  under  favourable  conditions.  To  promote  their  vigour, 
and  foster  their  reproductive  power,  they  must  be  supplied 
with  warmth,  moisture,  oxygen,  and  a  certain  proportion  of 
organic  matter.  Under  these  conditions,  they  carry  on  their 
own  nutrition  l)y  breaking  up  the  dead  organic  material, 
selecting  such  portions  of  it  as  they  find  appropriate  for  assi- 
milation, and  setting  free  the  rest  in  such  condition  as  to  be 
readily  ,  utilized  by  other  living  beings.  Accordingly,  the 
advocates  of  the  bacteria  point  out  to  us  that  they  are  the  most 
important  of  all  agents  in  keeping  the  store  of  material  neces- 
sary for  the  maintenance  of  organic  life  on  earth  always  ready 
to  hand  in  available  form  ;  that,  without  them,  the  necessarily 
limited  supply  would  rapidly  run  short,  no  phenomena  of 
putrefaction  could  aj)pear,  and  even  somatic  death  would  not 
set  free  the  material  necessary  for  the  growth  of  new  beings,. 
which  must,  under  such  circumstances,  soon  cease  to  appear. 
And  thus  the  worn-out  and  otherwise  unavailable  forms  of 
organic  matter,  v/hich  would,  without  the  intervention  of  such 
agency,  have  lain  locked  up  in  the  deceased  animal  and  vege- 
table structures  over  the  face  of  the  earth,  are  silently  torn  to 
pieces  and  teased  out,  in  such  a  way  as  to  be  readily  utilized  by 
the  new  forms  of  life. 

Everywhere  that  man  can  penetrate,  bacteria  are  to  be 
found.  Their  multitudinous  shapes  and  forms  occupy  the 
surfaces  of  all  animal  and  vegetable  beings ;  on  the  face  of  the 
waters  and  of  the  dry  land  they  form  layers,  and  penetrate 
to  a  moderate  distance  into  the  superficial  strata  of  the  soil. 
We  live  in  an  ocean  of  bacteria.  They  swarm  wherever  dust 
can  penetrate  and  collect ;  we  swallow  myriads  of  them  with 
every  morsel  of  uncooked  food.     Their  collective    existence 


168  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

and  life-history  is  an  nnseen  marvel :  a  saintly  schoolman  of 
the  middle  ages  addled  his  brains  and  mystified  his  contem- 
poraries in  calcnlating,  by  pure  force  of  logic,  how  many  angels 
could  dance  on  the  point  of  a  needle  :  modern  bacteriology  has 
furnished  more  tangible  results — it  has  made  us  quite  familiar 
with  organisms  of  which  more  than  a  thousand  may  be  com- 
fortably located,  in  apposition,  across  the  head  of  a  pin ;  and, 
which  multiply  with  such  rapidity,  in  their  own  method  of 
geometrical  progression,  that,  according  to  the  calculation  of 
an  eminent  biologist,  a  single  one  must,  if  the  proper  conditions 
could  be  maintained,  in  less  than  five  days  generate  a  mass 
that  would  fill  the  space  occupied  by  all  the  oceans  on  the 
earth's  surface,  supposing  these  to  have  an  average  depth  of 
one  mile.  But  such  limitless  reproduction  is  effectually 
held  in  check  by  the  relentless  laws  of  nature ;  the  struggle 
for  existence  goes  on  as  fiercely  and  viciously  among  the 
bacteria  as  it  does  among  the  most  highly  organized  animal 
forms. 

Such  are  the  revelations  of  modern  science.  We  have 
noticed  the  comparability  of  the  amoeba,  the  bacterium,  and 
the  human  ovum.  So  strongly  have  some  eminent  biologists 
been  impressed  by  the  essential  similarity  of  these  various 
•cellular  structures  and  their  products,  that  an  accomplished 
French  scientist,  Beauchamp,  has  advanced,  with  great  in- 
genuity, the  theory  that  the  cellular  structures  of  which  the 
whole  animal  body  is  built  up  are  all  m«'cro2?/mas,  which  require 
but  the  intervention  of  a  morbid  process  to  transform  them 
directly  into  bacteria.  This  transition  has  not,  however,  been 
traced  ;  and  any  attempt  to  discuss  the  arguments  for  or  against 
its  occurrence,  would  probably  lead  us  from  the  domains  of 
natural  history  and  pathology  into  that  of  metaphysics. 

The  practical  interest  of  all  bacteriological  investigation  is 
gathered  round  the  central  fact  that  all  the  morbid  processes 
which  threaten  the  life  of  man,  or  tend  to  diminish  his  i)hysical 
welfare,  appear  to  be  accompanied — each  by  a  characteristic 
bacterium.  A  stronger  claim  on  our  attention  could  hardly 
be  devised  ;  it  is  quite  sufficient  to  account  for  tlie  enthusiastic 
perseverance  with  which  the  forms  and  hal)its  of  the  various 
bacteria  have  been  studied  during  the  past  few  years,  and  tlie 
emlarrai  des  richesses  which  the  pursuit  has  resulted  in  present- 
ing to  the  scientific  world.     1  have  already  referred  to  the 


1888.]  •      A    STUDY   OF  BACTEBIOLOGY.  1G9 

three  prevailing  shapes  of  bacteria — the  ball,  the  rod,  and  the 
corkscrew.  These  more  typical  forms  are,  as  will  easily  be 
expected,  variously  modified  ;  but,  as  a  rule,  only  within  mode- 
rate limits.  A  variety  of  the  rod-shaped  bacterium  (bacillus), 
presenting  a  slightly  wavy  form,  is  also  characterized  by  a 
peculiar  tremulous  or  vibratory  movement,  and  has  on  this 
account  been  distinguished  by  the  name  of  vibrio.  A  bacillus 
of  exceptional  length  is  known  as  hiJtotlirix.  Special  modifi- 
cations of  the  corkscrew  forms  are  known  as  spirulina  and 
spirochete.  Again,  many  of  the  ball-shaped  bacteria  have  dis- 
tinguished themselves  in  their  growth  by  their  tendency  to 
arrange  themselves  in  definite  groups:  some  form  chains  — 
hence  the  name  streptococcus ;  others  form  clusters  like  bunches 
of  grapes — on  this  account  called  staphylococcus ;  and  so  on. 
Hoffman,  and  after  him  Klebs  and  Billroth,  have  tried  to  found 
a  classification  of  bacteria  based  on  their  relative  dimensions : 
they  divided  them  into  micro-,  meso-,  and  mega-hacteria ;  but 
this  arrangement  appears  to  me  to  be  the  most  artificial,  and 
least  practical,  that  I  know  of. 

Knowing,  as  we  now  do,  that  morbid  processes  are  accom- 
panied by  the  presence  of  characteristic  bacteria,  one  of  the 
most  interesting  questions  connected  with  the  well-being  of 
huinanity  must  certainly  be  that  of  the  exact  nature  of  the 
connection  between  the  presence  of  these  minute  organisms 
and  the  existence  of  the  corresponding  phenomena  of  disease. 
That  their  presence  is  characteristic  is  now  admitted  by  all ; 
how  far  the  accompanying  disease  is  dependent  on  their 
presence,  and  might  be  prevented  by  their  exclusion,  or  re- 
moved by  their  extinction,  is  the  aspect  of  the  question  which 
still  admits  of  some  dispute.  The  answer  to  this  query  now 
given  by  scientists  is  usually  an  emphatic  affirmative;  the 
objections  which  have  been  made  by  the  sceptical  are  mainly 
as  follows  :  (1)  the  presence  of  the  bacterium  is  merely  an 
epi phenomenon,  and  is  in  no  sense  the  cause  of  the  disease, 
but  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  result  of  the  process — a  morbid 
product ;  (2)  the  presence  of  bacteria  in  atmospheric  air  has 
not  been  satisfactorily  demonstrated,  so  that  the  phenomena 
of  infection  cannot  well  be  accounted  for  by  their  transmission; 

(3)  disease  varies  more  in  individual  cases  than  it  could  well 
do  if  due  in  every  instance  to  a  single  specific  bacterium; 

(4)  the  phenomena  of  disease  are  not  due  to  the  presence  of 


170  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

bacteria,  but  to  the  action  of  certain  poisonons  alkaloids 
{'ptomaines)  Avhicli  are  secreted  by  them. 

The  last  of  these  objections  appears  to  be  but  a  childish 
quarrel  about  words,  and  cannot  at  best  be  said  to  include 
more  than  the  affirmation  that  the  bacterial  influence  is  in- 
direct, and  not  direct,  as  was  asserted.  It  always  brings  to 
my  mind  the  profound  nursery  illustration  of  the  difference 
between  a  cat  looking  out  of  a  window  and  a  cat  looking  in, 
and  may  be  fairly  answered — with  a  dignified  display  of 
learning — by  applying  the  antiquated  scholastic  argument : 
Quod  est  causa  causm  est  causa  causati. 

The  third  objection,  which  opposes  the  extreme  variety  of 
the  morbid  phenomena  to  the  unity  of  the  species  of  bacterium 
to  whose  presence  they  are  due,  is  one  which,  of  course,  requires 
more  serious  consideration.  Still,  I  can  hardly  regard  the 
difficulty  which  it  presents  as  a  very  serious  one.  When  we 
consider  the  great  variability  of  the  human  organism,  and  the 
different  degrees  of  resistance,  which  its  tissues — affected  by 
heredity,  habit,  previous  disease,  climate,  quality  of  food,  and 
a  host  of  other  influences — are  likely  to  offer  to  the  progress 
of  the  invading  microbe,  we  cannot,  I  think,  expect  a  greater 
uniformity  of  phenomena  than  we  actually  meet  in  practice. 

The  second  of  the  above  objections  does  not,  I  think,  offer 
any  serious  obstacle  to  the  acceptance  of  the  bacterial  origin 
of  disease.  Some  of  the  most  competent  authorities  have 
succeeded  in  demonstrating  the  presence  of  pathogenic  bac- 
teria in  atmospheric  air :  it  is  not  necessary  to  suppose  that 
they  abound  in  comparatively  pure  air,  and  no  one  can  now 
question  the  foot  that  they  are  found  adhering  to  particles  of 
dust  and  of  moisture. 

The  first  objection,  which,  although  not  demonstrable,  had 
a  great  air  of  plausibility  so  long  as  its  possibility  could  be 
maintained,  has  been  completely  demolished  by  the  inoculation 
experiments  of  recent  years.  There  can  no  further  remain' 
any  doubt  as  to  the  relationship  of  the  presence  of  bacteria 
and  the  phenomena  of  disease  in  the  order  of  time. 

We  have  now  glanced  at  the  principal  objections  that  have 
been  made  to  the  generally-accepted  theory  of  the  bacterial 
origin  of  disease,  and  indicated  superficially  some  of  the  more 
noticeable  physical  features  of  the  bacteria  themselves.  Let 
us  return   and    glance  at   them  a  little  more  closely.     The 


1888.]  A    STUDY   OF  BACTEEIOLOGY.  171 

number  and  minuteness  of  those  bodies  will  perhaps  be  more 
forcibly  impressed  on  the  general  reader  by  the  fact  that 
M.  Miqnel  calculated  the  proportion  present  in  a  specimen  of 
water  in  which  dirty  linen  had  been  soaked,  at  26,000,000  per 
cubic  centimetre.  According  to  the  same  authority,  the 
presence  cf  a  million  of  microbes  in  a  cubic  centimetre  of 
water  does  not  in  the  least  affect  its  crystalline  transparency. 
This  information  is  all  the  more  important  in  presence  of  the 
fact  that  the  micro-organisms  of  the  most  formidable  epidemic 
diseases  are  chiefly  conveyed  by  this  medium. 

The  superficial  layers  of  earthy  soil  are  ordinarily  found  to 
be  very  much  richer  in  bacteria  than  the  Avater  of  the  neigh- 
bouring pools,  even  when  the  latter  possesses  no  special  pre- 
tensions to  cleanliness.  M.  Miquel,  whose  calculations  have 
been  confirmed  by  those  of  other  observers,  calculates  the 
average  number  present  per  gramme  of  earth  at  800,000  to 
900,000.  They  cover  all  the  surfaces— animal,  vegetable,  and 
mineral — over  the  superficial  area  of  our  teirestrial  globe. 
The  skin  of  the  grape  is  dusted  over  with  a  micro-organism 
(Mi/coderma  cerevisise)  whose  presence  is  essential  to  the  phe- 
nomenon of  alcoholic  fermentation ;  and  the  cuticle  of  the 
human  being  is  habitually  powdered  with  the  pus-producing 
agent  (Siaphyloeoccus  pjogenes  aureus),  which  quietly  lies  in 
wait  for  a  breach  of  continuity  through  whicli  it  can  effect  an 
entrance.  The  superficial  layers  of  the  soil  frequently  yield 
to  the  scientific  explorer  numerous  specimens  of  the  bacillus 
of  charbon,  the  vibrio  of  septicaemia,  and  the  drumstick  mi- 
crobe of  tetanus.  Like  all  other  organized  beings,  they  require 
for  their  nutrition  a  medium  containing  a  mineral,  a  hydro- 
carbonaceous,  and  a  nitrogenous  constituent.  Acting  on  this 
knowledge,  M.  Pasteur  has  been  able  to  cultivate  them  in  a 
artificial  solution  containino- ; 


Water 

.     100  ovammes. 

Sugar  candy  . 

10 "      „ 

Ammonium  carbonate 

1 

Yeabt  cinders 

1 

A  true  respiratory  function  is  performed  by  every  living- 
microbe  ;  and,  although  they  are  very  generally  divided  into 
derohic  and  ancierohic  (following  the  example  of  M.  Pasteur 
himself),  according  to  their  behaviour  in  presence  of  oxygen, 
it  is  not  the  less  true  that  the  presence  of  this  element    is 


172  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

absolutely  necessary  to  the  existence  of  all.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  typical  anaerobic  specimen,  such  as  the  Bacillus  aniijlo- 
hacter,  will  rapidly  perish  when  brought  into  contact  with 
oxygen  of  even  moderate  purity.  It  has  also  been  demon- 
strated that  no  aerobic  form  hitherto  discovered  can  exist  in 
an  atmosphere  of  oxygen,  when  condensed  by  a  pressure  of 
fifteen  atmospheres.  It  has  likewise  been  proved  that  the 
most  decidedly  anaerobic  forms  absolutely  require  for  their 
preservation  a  certain  proportion  of  oxygen — their  peculiarity 
being  that  the  element  must  be  supplied  in  very  small  quan- 
tity, and  very  gradually :  not  one  of  them  can  exist  in  a 
medium  from  which  oxygen  is  entirely  absent.  So  that  the 
whole  question  of  the  relationship  between  bacteria  and  oxygen 
resolves  itself  into  one  of  dosage.  It  is  both  interesting  and 
practically  important  to  remember  that  the  majority  of  the 
pathogenic  bacteria  which  cause  serious  mischief  in  surgical 
lesions  are  of  the  anaerobic  variety ;  and  their  incapability  of 
existing  in  presence  of  a  liberal  supply  of  oxygen  accounts  for 
the  remarkable  antiseptic  results  often  obtained  from  free-air 
dressing — after  surgical  operations,  and  in  cases  of  wounds 
otherwise  inflicted — and  which  were  at  one  time  used  as  a 
strong  argument  against  the  germ  theory  of  disease. 

The  active  mobility  of  the  majority  of  bacteria  has  already 
been  noticed,  and  it  is  really  very  curious  to  observe  the 
definiteness  of  purpose  with  which  some  of  the  movements  are 
performed.  An  aerobic  bacterium  placed  under  the  microscope 
will  be  seen  to  travel  in  the  direction  of  an  imprisoned  globule 
of  air  in  the  fluid  in  which  it  has  been  mounted.  The  an- 
aerobic specimen  takes  corresponding  care  of  his  welfare  by 
studiously  avoiding  the  vicinity  of  the  same  bubble.  They 
are  similarly  attracted  or  repelled  by, light,  as  it  happens  to  be 
useful  or  hurtful  to  the  economy,  and  they  are  always  very 
sensitive  to  its  influence.  A  fact  of  additional  interest  in  this 
connection  is  that  bacteria  are  more  highly  influenced  by  the  • 
solar  rays  as  we  pass  towards  the  violet  end  of  the  spectrum. 

The  action  of  extremes  of  temperature  on  bacteria  is  also 
very  pronounced  ;  most  of  the  pathogenic  forms  are  destroyed 
by  exposure  to  a  temperature  of  100°  C.  for  a  moderate  period 
of  time  ;  but  as  the  spores  resist  the  influence  of  heat  better 
than  do  the  adult  forms,  it  is  well,  in  order  to  insure  the 
complete  destruction  of  a  colony,  to  expose  it  for  some  time  to 


1888.]  .     A    STUDY   OF  BACTERIOLOGY.  173 

a  temperaturo  of  140°  C, ;  or,  safer  still,  150°  C.  They  are 
much  less  surely  affected  by  cold ;  most  can  be  frozen  to  death 
by  iising  powerful  refrigerating  mixtures ;  but  as  one  well- 
known  mischievous  bacillus  has  been  found  to  survive  a 
temperature  of  —  130°  C,  it  is  obvious  that  this  mode  of  de- 
struction cannot  well  be  relied  on. 

The  reproduction  of  the  bacterium  by  the  simple  method  of 
segmentation  exactly  corresponds  to  that  which  has  already 
been  alluded  to  in  case  of  the  amoeba,  and  compared  to  the  very 
similar  process  which  occurs  in  the  ovum  ;  other  methods  of 
multiplication  are  by  gemmation,  and  by  sporulation.  The 
process  of  segmentation  is  mostly  characteristic  of  the  rod- 
shaped  forms — straight,  wavy,  or  sj)iral  as  the  case  may  be ; 
the  reproduction  by  gemmation,  of  the  rounded  species ;  while 
the  phenomenon  of  spore-formation  is  seen  in  both,  but  much 
more  frequently  among  the  rods. 

In  gemmation,  a  bud  forms  at  some  point  of  the  surface  of 
the  parent-cell — sometimes  two,  one  at  either  end  of  a  dia- 
meter ;  it  grows  till  it  acquires  a  bulk  of  about  a  third  of  that 
of  its  progenitor,  when  it  drops  off  and  assumes  an  independent 
mode  of  existence,  usually  growing  to  the  size  of  its  parent  in 
a  very  short  time. 

The  process  of  spore-formation,  although  more  frequently 
observed  among  the  bacilli,  seldom  occurs  even  among  the 
latter  except  when  the  specimen  is  suffering  from  failing- 
health  or  deficient  supply  of  nutrition.  Accordingly,  it  can 
be  brought  about  artificially,  with  great  ease,  by  exposing  a 
previously  vigorous  bacillus  to  the  unfriendly  influence  of  too 
high  a  temperature  or  too  strong  a  light.  The  actively 
moving  rod  becomes  immobile,  its  protoplasm  swells — either 
in  a  small  portion  of  its  length  or  throughout  the  whole— any 
granulations  which  it  presented  disappear,  its  refractive  power 
increases,  and  a  clear — oval  or  spheroidal — body  forms,  with 
dark  contour  —  the  latter  by-and-by  breaking  down,  and 
setting  the  spore  at  liberty.  The  process  appears  to  be  a 
mode  of  self-preservation  afforded  by  nature  to  the  species. 
The  spore,  at  all  periods  of  its  existence,  resists  the  influences 
of  heat,  cold,  light,  desiccation,  and  even  the  action  of  powerful 
antiseptic  agents,  in  a  way  that  the  parent  rod  could  never 
have  done.  Buchner  has  reported  the  gemmation  of  spores 
which  had  spent  a  whole  day  immersed  in  strong  sulphuric 


174  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.        [1888. 

acid !  Wlien  the  sj)ores  are  set  free  in  a  favourable  medium, 
they  soon  develop  the  characteristic  features  of  the  j)arent 
cell. 

The  extraordinary  conservatism  marked  in  the  life  history 
of  successive  generations  of  bacteria  has  been  curiously  ex- 
emplified in  the  report  that  a  specimen  has  been  found  in  the 
dental  tartar  of  an  Egyptian  mummy,  which  proved  absolutely 
identical  with  the  variety  that  is  familiarly  known  to  occur 
in  a  similar  position  at  the  present  day.  It  has  been  calculated 
that,  in  the  direct  line  of  descent,  over  twenty-six  millions  of 
bacterial  generations  have  come  and  gone  within  that  interval : 
still  the  laws  of  evolution  have  never  affected  the  primitive 
form ! 

With  these  leading  features  to  characterise  them,  the 
bacteria  live  and  have  their  being  ;  they  increase,  and  multiply, 
and  replenish  the  earth;  and  endeavour,  to  the  best  of  their 
abilities,  to  subdue  it.  It  must  not,  however,  be  supposed 
from  what  has  been  said  that  all  forms  of  bacteria  are  equally 
prejudicial  to  animal  life ;  on  the  contrary,  some  are  man's 
most  constant  and  most  active  friends.  The  Bacillus  amylohacier 
is  a  necessary  auxiliary  to  the  natural  digestive  fluids  of  the 
human  alimentary  canal.  Many  other  bacteria  aj)pear  to 
exercise  no  specially  baneful  influence  on  the  animal  organism. 
The  features  of  special  importance,  however,  in  connection  with 
their  appearance  in  the  fluids  and  tissues  of  the  human  body, 
are  :  their  extraordinarily  rapid  rate  of  reproduction,  and  the 
fact  that  the  materials  for  their  nutrition  must  be  drawn 
directly  from  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  Avhile  the  pro- 
ducts of  their  excretion  are  necessarily  washed  into  the  fluid 
by  which  they  are  bathed.  They  borrow  their  means  of 
livelihood  from  their  host,  without  at.all  consulting  his  wishes 
on  the  subject ;  and,  with  the  same  want  of  sympathetic  feeling, 
they  pass  on  their  sewerage  into  the  circulation,  on  the  j)urity 
of  which  his  health  and  vigour  depend.  The  two  factors 
cannot,  evidently,  be  separated  in  the  mischievous  result ;  we 
can  only  see  the  general  effect.  The  principal  excrementitious 
products  whose  existence  is  traceable  to  the  action  of  bacteria, 
are  now  well-known  under  the  name  of  ptomaines.  They 
possess  both  chemical  composition  and  poisonous  properties 
very  similar  to  those  of  well-known  vegetable  alkaloids :  and 
the  specific  connection  between  a  particular  bacterium  and  the 


1888.]  A    STUDY   OF   BACTEBIOLOGY.  175 

ptomaine  which  it  mauufactures  during  its  existence  in  the 
animal  tissues  has  in  a  good  many  cases  been  definitely  traced, 
and  such  production  of  a  special  alkaloid  by  a  special  micro- 
organism very  probably  takes  place  in  the  case  of  every  patho- 
genic microbe.  Many  observers  who  will  not  allow  that  bacteria 
are  the  real  jjroducers  of  disease,  admit  that  the  symptoms  of 
the  latter  are  due  to  ptomaine  poisoning,  but  the  distinction, 
as  already  pointed  out,  is  a  very  puerile  one  indeed. 

In  order  to  demonstrate  that  a  disease  is  of  bacterial  origin, 
it  is  absolutely  necessary,  as  laid  down  by  Professor  Koch, 
that  the  following  four  conditions  should  be  forthcoming : — 

(1.)  The  same  bacterium  must  be  present  in  the  tissues  or 
fluids  of  every  individual  affected  with  the  disease ; 

(2.)  The  bacterium  must  be  isolated  and  pure  cultures 
obtained ; 

(3.)  The  disease  must  be  reproduced  in  healthy  individuals 
by  inoculation  from  these  pure  cultures ; 

(4.)  The  same  species  of  bacterium  must  be  discoverable 
in  the  tissues  or  fluids  of  the  individual  so  affected  by  inocula- 
tion, and  in  parts  situated  at  a  distance  from  the  seat  of  the 
inoculation. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  these  four  conditions  have  up  to  the 
present  been  fulfilled  in  but  a  very  limited  number  of  cases ; 
and  it  is  obviously  impossible  to  apply  this  cycle  of  investiga- 
tion, in  its  complete  form,  to  all  important  varieties  of  disease 
affecting  the  human  body ;  but  those  in  which  it  has  been 
found  possible  or  desirable  to  complete  the  stages  above 
indicated  have  given  satisfactoiy  responses ;  and  more  espe- 
cially among  the  lower  animals,  where  the  methods  of  scientific 
research  are  not  restricted  in  the  same  way. 

Such  are  the  relationships  now  established — between  the 
harmful  species  of  bacteria  and  the  morbid  phenomena  of 
animal  life.  The  human  form  is  obliged  to  maintain  its 
existence  in  the  midst  of  microscopic  enemies  belonging  to 
the  lowest  forms  of  vegetable  life,  which  are  always  ready  to 
avail  themselves  of  any  mode  of  entrance  to  its  interior  ;  where 
their  presence  is  surely  accompanied  by  a  direct  attack  on  its 
well-being.  Each  time  that  a  colony  of  bacteria  obtains  a 
settlement  within  the  human  organism,  it  will  be  obviously 
understood  (from  what  has  already  been  said)  that  traces  of  their 
passage  will  be  left,  both  in  the  way  of  subtraction  of  some 


176  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

of  its  principles,  aud  by  the  deposit  of  new  material ;  and  these 
effects  will  be  more  pronounced  in  proportion  to  their  number, 
and  the  length  of  their  period  of  sojourn.  They  leave  the 
conditions  of  life  in  a  modified  state.  It  is  in  this  way  that 
vaccination,  and  other  modes  of  inoculation,  protect  the 
individual  affected.  It  will  also  be  obvious  that  such  pro- 
tection is  likely  to  become  modified  by  time;  as  it  is  very 
unlikely  that  all  the  tissues  and  fluids  of  the  organism  will  be 
in  any  case  so  completely  altered  by  the  results  of  a  single 
inoculation,  that  the  effects  of  the  latter  may  not  disappear  in 
the  course  of  a  considerable  span  of  the  life  history  of  an 
individual  so  operated  on. 

The  resistance  of  the  tissues  of  the  animal  organism  to  the 
action  of  the  invading  bacteria,  varies  greatly,  of  course,  with 
the  hereditary  or  acquired  constitution  of  the  individual. 
During  the  period  of  every  such  invasion,  a  direct  struggle  for 
existence  goes  on  between  the  army  of  intruding  vegetable  cells 
on  one  side,  and  the  not  entirely  dissimilar  cells  which  build 
up  the  animal  tissues  on  the  other.  The  resisting  powers  of 
the  latter  must  be  a  very  uncertain  factor  indeed ;  considering 
the  enormous  range  between  the  extremes  of  nutritive  activity 
and  general  physical  vigour,  which  we  every  day  see  around 
us  in  the  various  specimens  of  the  human  frame  with  which 
we  are  familiar.  The  lodgment  of  a  colony  of  bacteria  is  in 
itself  an  unavoidable  cause  of  a  rapid  increase  of  the  local 
chemical  changes  which  are  always  going  on  in  the  tissues. 
This  is  necessarily  accompanied  by  increase  of  temperature, 
as  animal  heat  is  the  result  of  the  molecular  work  of  the 
assimilation  and  disassimilation  which  are  continually  going 
on  in  the  tissues  of  the  body.  But  this  increased  evolution 
of  heat  is  rapidly  emphasised  to  a  much  greater  degree  when 
the  entrance  into  the  circulation  of  the  toxic  jDroducts  manu- 
factured by  the  bacteria  is  followed  by  the  inevitable  con- 
sequence of  derangement  of  the  heat-regulating  mechanism  of 
the  nerve  centres. 

So  far  as  we  can  sec  in  the  light  of  our  present  knowledge, 
there  is  great  reason  to  believe  that  what  defence  is  made  by 
the  animal  tissues  in  resisting  the  incursions  of  the  aggressive 
bacteria,  is  chiefly  entrusted  to  a  special  variety  of  cells,  which, 
in  this  connection,  it  has  now  become  fashionable  to  call 
pJiagocytes.     Some  larger  cells  found  in  the  si)leen,  thyroid 


DIFFERENT   WAYS   OP   GABDENING   AT   FORT   BODO. 


1888.]  .  A   STUDY   OF  BACTERIOLOGY.  YJl 

body,  connective  tissues,  and  on  certain  epithelial  surfaces 
have  been  credited  with  tliis  function,  but  the  principal 
members  of  the  sanitary  garrison  appear  to  be  the  leucocytes 
(colourless  blood-corpuscles).  Wherever  a  breach  of  con- 
tinuity of  the  surface  has  taken  place,  these  cells  are  always 
found  to  rush  to  the  front  in  large  numbers ;  and  a  hand-to- 
hand  battle  for  life  or  death  takes  place  between  the  two 
armies  of  cellular  organisms.  The  only  mode  of  attack  known 
to  the  leucocyte  is  the  primitive  one,  which  it  employs  just  as 
does  its  distant  cousin  the  amoeba,  of  directly  swallowing  up 
its  opponent.  If  it  succeeds  in  effecting  this  purpose,  the  career 
of  the  bacterium  ends  there  and  then:  it  is  rapidly  digested, 
and,  of  course,  completely  wiped  out  of  existence.  The  one 
effective  weapon  of  the  bacterium,  on  the  other  hand,  appears 
to  be  the  poisonous  alkaloid  which  it  secretes ;  or,  to  the 
formation  of  which,  at  least,  in  the  tissues  of  its  host  its  pre- 
sence always  gives  rise.  This  so-called  ptomaine  appears  to 
have  the  power  of  breaking  up  the  leucocytes ;  and,  probably, 
others  of  the  animal  cells  in  the  neighbourhood  as  well.  If 
the  advance  guard  of  leucocytes  is  sufficiently  numerous  and 
sufficiently  strong  (individually)  to  swallow  up  the  incursive 
bacteria,  no  constitutional  mischief  results ;  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  bacteria  have  the  best  of  the  first  battle,  further 
complications  must  necessarily  follow.  If  the  latter  have  a 
"  walk  over,"  the  phenomena  of  acute,  perhaps  fatal,  disease 
follow ;  if  the  forces  are  pretty  evenly  balanced,  and  other 
circumstances  not  tending  to  favour  the  victory  of  either 
contending  party,  indefinite  chronicity  is  the  result. 

A  word  must  here  be  said  on  the  subject  of  the  most 
interesting  of  all  the  recent  practical  applications  of  our 
knowledge  of  bacteriology — the  "attenuation  of  the  virus." 
It  has  for  a  considerable  time  been  known  that  Avhen  a 
-colony  of  bacteria  has  for  some  little  while  been  subjected  to 
-conditions  nearly  fatal  to  the  existence  of  its  individuals,  the 
latter  (and  their  descendants)  lose  so  much  of  their  virulence 
as  to  render  their  inoculation  comparatively  harmless ;  also, 
that  when  allowed  to  develop  freely  under  exceptionally 
favourable  circumstances,  their  malignant  properties  may  be 
magnified  to  an  almost  indefinite  degree.  Professor  Toussaint 
was  the  first  to  observe  a  modifying  action  of  this  kind.  He 
found   that  after  heating  the    blood   of  an    animal  affected 

N 


178  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOR lAL   AFRICA.         [1888. 

with  charbon  to  a  temperature  of  55°  C,  its  subsequent  intro- 
duction into  the  blood  or  tissues  of  a  healthy  animal  was 
followed  by  comparatively  trivial  results,  which  passed  off  in 
a  short  time:  but  which  had,  nevertheless,  the  eifect  of 
rendering  the  inoculated  animal  indifferent  to  the  effects  of 
subsequent  doses  of  large  quantities  of  the  bacteria  in  a 
thoroughly  vigorous  condition.  A  similar  result  was  obtained 
by  treating  the  infected  blood  ^vith  a  solution  of  carbolic  acid, 
not  strong  enough  to  destroy  the  existence  of  the  bacteria, 
but  merely  to  impair  their  vitality.  Acting  upon  this  dis- 
covery. Professor  Toussaint  established  the  practical  results 
of  protective  inoculation.  Any  other  agent  Avhich  may  be 
employed  in  such  a  A\ay  nii  to  bring  the  bacterium  to  the  verge 
of  destruction,  without  absolutely  destroying  its  vitality,  may 
be  employed  in  a  similar  way  for  the  preparation  of  an 
attenuated  virus.  The  virulence  of  some  bacteria  is  lowered 
to  the  requisite  standard  by  simply  allowing  the  colony  to 
grow  old  without  any  other  interference.  M.  Pasteur  has 
obtained  analogous  results,  by  repeated  cultures  of  colonies  of 
the  same  bacterial  virus  on  different  media ;  through  which  he 
has  succeeded  in  modifying  its  properties  to  almost  any  degree 
that  he  may  desire :  inoculation  with  these  artificially  trained 
specimens  still  afford  the  desired  protective  power.  The 
applications  of  these  discoveries  within  recent  years  are  familiar 
to  educated  people  in  all  civilised  countries. 

Such  are  the  more  notable  features  in  the  family  history 
(3f  the  all-pervading  bacterium,  and  of  its  relationship  to  its 
struggling  human  fellow-creatures.  The  fact  has  been  empha- 
sised that  bacteria  are  not  in  all  instances  unfriendly  to  man  ; 
but  that,  on  the  contrary,  some  species  are  among  his  most 
important  allies  in  the  physiological  struggle  for  existence. 
Their  somewhat  mysterious  movements  have  been  referred  to, 
the  mechanism  of  which  in  many  cases  is  by  no  means  very 
clear ;  although  in  the  rod-shaped  forms  at  least,  they  appear 
to  be  due  to  the  action  of  a  vibratile  cilium  of  excessive 
delicacy.  Various  as  are  the  forms  of  bacteria,  some  observers 
of  very  high  authority,  including  Niigeli  and  Billroth,  profess 
to  believe  that  they  are  all  really  members  of  a  single  species, 
and  are  all  derived  from  the  same  form  of  cocco-bacterium. 
We  have  referred  to  the  translucency  of  the  average  bacterium, 
but  this  feature  is  not  a  universal    one :  some  few  varieties 


1888.]  ■   A    STUDY   OF  BACTERIOLOGY.  179 

are  richly  coloured.  The  peculiar  greeu,  yellow,  blue,  &c., 
tints  which  different  specimens  of  pus  sometimes  present,  are 
all — as  well  as  the  more  familiar  yellow — due  in  each  case  to 
a  special  form  of  coloured  microbe.  Milk  is  sometimes  seen  to 
change  its  colour  gradually  to  a  deep  blue,  or  to  a  deep  red,  from 
analogous  causes.  The  phosphorescence  of  fish  is  due  to  the 
presence  of  Microccus  23hosphoreus,  and  the  ready  growth  of  the 
deeply  scarlet-coloured  Microceocus  inodigiosus  on  amylaceous 
matters — previously  cooked,  and  then  placed  in  a  moist  and 
bacteria-laden  atmosphere — is  now  known  to  have  formed  one 
of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  spread  of  medipeval 
theology,  and  to  have  been  the  central  phenomenon  round  which 
ecclesiastical  wars,  persecutions,  and  anathemas  raged  for  many 
centuries. 

And  so  the  bacteria  live  their  humble  lives  ;  performing,  in> 
their  struirffle  for  existence,  manifold  functions  :  sometimes  of 
the  greatest  usefulness,  sometimes  of  the  most  pernicious 
tendency.  The  reading  world  has  heard,  perhaps,  everything 
about  the  latter ;  let  us  not,  however,  by  a  one-sided  view, 
entirely  lose  sight  of  the  former.  We  now  know  that  these 
primitive  creatures  plough  and  harrow  the  soil  of  organic 
material,  from  which  each  successive  crop  of  animated  beings 
is  raised  up  to  supply  the  place  of  their  deceased  ancestors. 
And,  above  all,  let  us  not  be  carried  away  so  far  in  the 
(hitherto)  unsatisfactory  effort  to  accomplish  their  destruction 
in  the  animal  body,  as  to  lose  sight  of  the  use  of  the  rational 
methods  ready  to  hand  of  combating  the  various  diseases, 
which  are  characterised  by — whether  or  not  they  are  absolutely 
due  to — their  presence  in  the  tissues  and  fluids  of  the  human 
organism.] 

Jan.  3. — I  have  just  discovered  that  my  servant  has  stolen 
two  bottles  full  of  most  important  medicines  (Dover's  powder 
and  ipecacuanha)  ;  also  two  spoons,  and  fifty  rounds  of  ammu- 
nition. I  have  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  does  not  tell 
me  where  the  medicine  has  gone ;  he  has  sold  the  hottles  to  the 
^[anyuema  in  the  next  tent. 

Ismailia  returned  to-day  with  some  of  Kilonga  Longa's  men. 
Kilonga  Longa  sent  us  his  "  salaams,"  and  is  expected  here  in 
four  or  five  days. 

Both  Nelson  and  myself  are  piebald  all  over  our  bodies, 
from  the  results  of  scratchings  and  ulcerations.     We  quite 

N  2 


180  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

appreciate  the  tormenting  efficacy  of  the  third  plague  of 
Egypt :  our  ulcers  are  in  great  measure  the  result  of  mal- 
nutrition. 

We  purchased  a  good  chicken  last  night,  with  a  pair  of  Emin 
Pasha's  drawers.  It  is  somewhat  peculiar,  we  have  thought, 
that  we  can  never  get  a  fresh  Qg^,  although  on  the  testimony 
of  these  people  the  eggs  they  give  us  are  always  "just  laid." 
The  only  logical  conclusion  we  can  deduce  from  this  evidence 
is,  that  the  hens  in  the  heart  of  Africa  do  not  lay  fresh  eggs  I 

Jan.  4. — We  are  both  much  better.  We  observe  (1)  thnt 
we  are  not  nearly  so  irritable ;  and  (2)  that  creeping  things 
can  race  all  over  us  in  every  direction  without  making  us  at 
all  uncomfortable.  My  boy,  Sherif,  has  not  yet  returned.  He 
ran  away :  because,  in  the  first  jjlace,  he  knew  that  I  had 
evidence  of  his  stealing  the  medicines  and  selling  the  bottles ; 
and,  in  the  second  place,  I  believe  he  really  thought  that  I 
would  shoot  him. 

Ismailia  was  asked  for  food  to-day  ;  but  "  had  none."  An 
hour  or  two  afterwards  he  offered  to  sell  us  some  for  a  rifle. 
We  have  now  been  turned  out  of  our  hut,  and  six  slaves  have 
replaced  us.  This  is  a  place  I  could  conscientiously  re- 
commend as  a  missionary  station ;  missionaries  necessarily 
select  remote  and  unenlightened  places,  and  I  will  confidently 
promise  that  they  need  expect  no  earthly  reward  for  their 
presence  and  their  labours  here,  beyond  that  satisfaction  and 
contentment  of  soul  which  an  abnegation  of  self  to  the  dictates 
of  duty  and  conscience  must  and  will  always  confer  on  the 
virtuous  man. 

Jan.  5. — I  find  that  my  boy  is  now  working  for  Khamisi.  I 
told  him  to  bring  him  back  to  me.  Possibly,  indeed,  it  is  he 
who  induced  him  to  leave  me,  as  he  is  strong  and  able  to  work. 
Ismailia  said  to  my  messenger  this  morning  that  there  was  no 
food  ;  and,  in  one  hour  afterwards,  he  sent  up  meal  to  sell  for  a 
spoon.  Unfortunately,  I  had  sold  my  only  two.  He  brought 
up  a  rifle,  which  had  been  given  him  by  Mr.  Stanley 
(No.  310);  it  was  broken,  and  he  modestly  asked  for  a  good 
one  instead,  but  did  not  get  it. 

Jan.  G. — We  have  decided  to  kill  our  goat  to-morrow. 
Both  of  us  spent  the  day  in  bed  with  fever,  and  we  have 
now  recommended  each  other  meat. 

Jan.  7. — Sangarameni  brought  us  one  cupful  of  rice — this, 


1888.]  .     KILONGA    LOSGA'S  AnRIVAL.  181 

with  goat's  liver  and  kidneys,  gave  us  an  excellent  breakfast. 
This  man  has  certainly  more  of  the  milk  of  human  kindness 
in  his  composition  than  any  of  the  others.  AVe  have  arranged 
with  Khamisi  to  build  us  a  house  for  our  boys,  and  also  a 
boma.  We  are  to  give  him  a  rifle  and  seventy  rounds  of 
ammunition  for  his  trouble.  It  will  be  necessary  to  keep  out 
Kilonga  Longa's  rabble  when  they  arrive. 

Jan.  8.^ — Two  men  came  into  the  village  to-day,  and  reported 
Kilonga  Longa  close  at  hand. 

Jan.  9. — Kilonga  Longa's  long-expected  arrival  occurred  at 
one  o'clock  to-day.  A  great  display :  the  advent  was  cele- 
brated by  the  blowing  of  war-horns,  firing  of  guns  and  rifles, 
beating  of  drums — and  other  discordant  noises  of  various 
kinds,  singing,  and  playing  of  stringed  instruments.  He  was 
accompanied  by  about  250  persons — men,  women  and  children. 
The  remainder  of  his  column  is  due  to-morrow.  They  all  look 
starved,  and  in  wretched  condition ;  they  say  that  they  have 
had  very  little  food  to  live  on  during  the  past  seven  months,, 
many  of  the  force  having  died  of  inanition. 

Kilonga  Longa  is  a  small  wiry  man  ;  he  has  an  extremely 
bright,  intelligent  look  in  his  eyes.  He  and  the  immediate 
members  of  his  staff  are  to  be  banqueted  to-night.  Umari 
(chief)  and  nine  Zanzibaris,  who  were  left  with  Nelson,  and 
who' had  been  away  foraging  when  Jephson's  relief  party  came- 
to  the  rescue,  also  arrived  with  Kilonga  Longa,  who  had 
picked  them  uji,  in  a  starving  condition,  on  the  way  ;  they  had 
been  crawling  helplessly  about  in  the  bush. 

Jan.  10. — All  the  returned  Zanzibaris  came  last  night  and 
visited  Nelson  and  myself ;  wo  were,  of  course,  confined  to  our 
beds.  Poor  creatures  !  they  are  awful  looking  skeletons,  surely. 
What  a  fearful  amount  of  misery  and  privation  was  testih'ed  to 
by  each  bony  figure.  Xelson  and  myself  both  noticed  how 
carefully  they  seemed  to  "  take  stock  "  of  everything  in  the 
tents.  We  rose,  took  their  rifles,  and  stacked  them  in  my 
tent. 

During  the  night  there  was  a  great  fantasia,  with  much 
music  and  singing.  About  2  a.m.,  while  it  was  still  pitch 
dark,  I  was  awakened  from  my  sleep  by  a  noise — made,  as  I 
thought,  by  a  rat  scraping  at  the  wall  of  my  tent.  Whenever 
I  moved,  the  ammunition  boxes,  on  which  I  was  lying 
creaked,  and   the  noise  then  ceased  for  a  little ;    but  it  re- 


182  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOR  I AL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

commenced  again  and  again.  Owing  to  the  darkness,  I  could 
see  nothing  ;  but  I  began  to  suspect  the  visit  of  a  nocturnal 
thief,  and  my  mind  forcibly  recalled  the  careful  way  in  which 
the  Zanzibaris  had  used  their  eyes  when  visiting  in  my  tent 
in  the  evening.  Acting  on  this  thought,  I  got  quickly  out  of 
bed,  opened  the  door  cautiously,  and  crept  around  to  the  back 
of  my  tent,  with  the  nearest  approach  to  feline  movement 
that  I  could  assume.  When  I  had  got  to  the  point  opposite 
the  position  of  my  bed,  I  jumped  to  the  spot  where  the  thief 
■  must  be  lying — if  thief  there  was.  I  rolled  over  a  cold  and 
slimy  mass,  of  human  bones  covered  by  integument ;  which 
turned  out,  on  identification,  to  be  one  of  the  Zanzibaris  who 
had  just  returned ;  his  name  is  Montgomery  Kamaroni.  He 
was  just  in  the  act  of  stealing  a  rifle,  which  he  had  almost 
removed  through  a  hole,  of  a  foot  in  length,  that  he  had 
cut  in  the  wall  of  my  tent.  I  seized  him,  and  flung  his  knife 
away  for  some  distance — I  recovered  it  this  morning,  and  still 
have  it  in  my  possession.  With  some  difficulty,  I  dragged 
him  round  to  the  front  of  my  tent,  and  called  out  to  Nelson 
that  I  had  caught  a  thief.  Nelson  came  out  as  quickly  as  he 
could  and  called  our  boys,  who  brought  a  lighted  stick,  and 
we  immediately  recognised  Kamaroni.  As  we  stood  over  him, 
with  our  fingers  on  our  revolvers,  we  came  to  the  conclusion 
that  discretion  was  the  better  part  of  valour.  Our  first 
impression  was  that  the  proper  treatment  was  to  shoot  him 
forthwith ;  but  the  fact  that,  being  a  Zanzibari,  he  was  a 
compatriot  of  Kilonga  Longa's  might  well  make  us  pause. 
The  latter,  although  not,  perhaps,  very  warmly  affected 
towards  poor  Kamaroni,  might  nevertheless  be  sufficiently 
irritated  by  the  quasi-judicial  death  of  a  countryman  of  his,  to 
determine  his  future  choice  between,  the  alternative  of  giving 
us  a  little  food,  and  giving  us  none  at  all.  As  we  were 
absolutely  in  the  power  of  this  worthy,  w-e  decided  to  do 
nothing  rash  for  the  moment.  So  we  tied  Kamaroni  to  a  tree" 
for  the  niglit.  In  the  morning  we  held  a  shauri  on  the  subject 
with  his  chief  Umari,  and  we  granted  a  reprieve,  and  com- 
muted the  sentence  into  one  of  a  light  flogging. 

The  remainder  of  Kilonga  Longa's  expedition  has  now 
turned  up — they  make  about  400  in  all.  Umari  is  now 
mossing  with  us,  and  he  tells  us  that  Ismailia  has  been 
persuading  Kilonga  Longa  that  the  white  men — Nelson  and 


CURIOS  ON  LEOPARD   SKIN. 


1.  Mazamboni's  Bpear-head. 

2.  Shoes  made  by  Emin's  people. 

3.  Fishing  spear-head  from  Aruwimi. 

4.  Knife  used  by  Camaroni,  vide  p.  182. 

5.  Spear-head  from  Ankori. 

6.  Pigmy  ivory  bangle. 

7.  Ivory  bangle  worn  by  Kavalli's  people. 

8.  Knife  which  killed  Feruzi  Ali,  vide  page  1 19. 


9.  Throwing-knife  found  at  Tanga,  Aug.  1887. 

10.  Clay  pipe  made  near  Albert  Nyanza. 

11.  Manyuema  spear-head. 

12.  "  Chino"  or  wooden  mortar. 

13.  Tobacco  from  Ankori. 

14.  Ball  of  hair  found  in  the  stomach  of  a  cow 
in  Karagwe. 

15.  Forest  ivory  war-horns. 


1888.]  -       KILOXGA   LONG  A' S    VISIT.  183 

myself — are  bad,  and  the  Zanzibaris  no  better,  and  that  we 
ought  not  to  get  any  food.  This  is  the  same  chief  who,  on  the 
26th  of  October  last,  promised  Mr.  Stanley  in  my  presence, 
that  we  should  be  provisioned,  and  our  men  all  cared  for  !  Mr. 
Stanley  certainly  believed  in  him,  for  he  told  me  that  "  he  had 
a  big  heart." 

Kilonga  Longa  found  four  of  Mr.  Stanley's  Remington 
rifles  in  the  bush — belonging  to  men  who  had  died  of  starva- 
tion— all  of  which  he  retains  as  his  private  property.  At 
4  P.M.  he  paid  us  a  state  visit,  accompanied  by  all  his  chiefs. 

Jan.  11. — I  have  been  called  to  give  professional  advice  to 
some  invalids  among  Kilonga  Longa's  people ;  I  found  them 
all  in  a  wretchedly  emaciated  condition.  One  of  them  was  a 
woman  who  had  just  had  a  miscarriage,  and  carried  the  foetus 
to  me  wrapped  up  in  a  banana  leaf.  The  Manyuema  adults 
are  all  of  a  very  dark  brown  colour ;  but  their  babies,  for  a 
month  or  two  after  birth,  are  of  a  pinkish  white. 

Jan.  12. — I  arranged  with  the  chief  Khamisi  to  allow  those 
Zanzibaris  who  have  lately  arrived  to  work  for  their  food,  on 
the  same  terms  as  the  others — as  settled  by  Mr.  Stanley  before 
liis  departure.  Kilonga  Longa  paid  us  a  visit,  accompanied 
by  some  of  his  chiefs.  He  wore  a  small  sword,  suspended  from 
Ills  shoulder.  It  is  customary  with  the  Arabs  for  all  people  of 
importance  to  wear  side-arras.  I  have  to  take  a  back  seat  in 
regard  to  this  demonstration,  as  one  of  my  carriers,  Eehani, 
deserted  with  my  entire  kit — including  my  sword — on  the 
11th  of  October  last.  Nelson  presented  K.  L.  with  an 
Express  rifle  which  cost  £45.  I  followed  up  this  with  a 
donation  of  an  ink-bottle.  We  accordingly  thought  it  would  be 
a  favourable  opportunity  to  discuss  the  provision  question.  So 
we  had  the  written  agreement  (English),  between  Mr.  Stanley 
and  the  three  chiefs,  translated  to  him  by  Umari.  There  was, 
however,  no  one  Avho  could  translate  the  Arabic  document; 
and  each  of  the  three  chiefs  gave  a  different  version  of  the 
original  compact.  Kilonga  Longa  said  that  he  had  known 
Mr.  Stanley  on  the  Congo ;  he  had  got  bales  of  cloth  from 
Abed  Bin  Salim  in  Manyuema  years  ago.  Also,  that,  at  Stanley 
Falls,  he  had  himself  given  Mr.  Stanley  thirty  tusks  of  ivory, 
for  which  the  latter  sent  him  guns,  powder,  and  cooking-pots. 
He  then  turned  to  Nelson  and  asked  him — "  Do  you  think 
Mr.  Stanley  a  good  man  ?  "     Nelson's  reply  was  very  diplo- 


184  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

matic.  "If  Ismailia,  your  subordinate,  were  asked  what  be 
tbougbt  of  you,  wbat  would  you  expect  bim  to  say  ?  "  Tbis 
way  of  answering  tbe  question  almost  made  me  suspect  tbat 
Nelson  must  bave  some  Hibernian  blood  in  bis  veins.  It  is 
quite  clear  to  us  tbat  Ismailia  bas  been  using  bis  best  wits  to 
induce  K.  L.  to  continue  to  starve  us,  so  tbat  we  may  sell  tbe 
ammunition  and  rifles  ;  wbicb  would  be  fatal  to  our  Expedition. 
Tbere  was  some  furtber  conversation,  but  very  little  tbat  was 
definite,  on  tbe  main  point  at  issue ;  we  are  now  sootbing  our- 
selves only  witb  tbe  bope  tbat  tbe  presents  we  bave  given 
will  move  bim  to  treat  us  generously  in  tbe  way  of  food. 

Jan.  vs.- — Kilonga  Longa  sent  off  a  large  siiffari  to-day 
to  forage  for  food  and  ivory.  He  sent  us  enougb  rice  for  two- 
days — for  ourselves,  our  two  boys,  and  Umari.  We  are  bound 
to  look  after  Umari,  as  be  was  very  kind  to  Nelson  in  tbe 
dismal  "  starvation  camp,"  and  now  tbe  poor  man  is  prostrate 
from  fever  and  inanition.  We  also  got  a  fowl,  some  salt 
(wbicb  we  tborougbly  enjoyed,  for  we  bad  not  tasted  any  for 
several  montbs),  and  some  spices  to  make  curry  witb,  (Tbe 
only  European  eatable  or  drinkable  wbicb  we  bave  bad  for 
some  time  is  tea). 

I  bave  bad  anotber  relapse  of  my  erysipelas.  Curiously 
enougb,  wbenever  I  get  tbe  least  attack  of  fever  tbe  erysipelas 
returns ;  and  before  I  feel  any  symptom  whatever  of  tbe  fever, 
a  livid  pinkish  blush  appears  all  over  the  upper  jmrt  of  the 
right  thigh. 

Jan.  14. — Nelson  is  ill  again  to-day.  This  time  it  is  gastric 
irritation,  complicated  witb  some  rheumatism,  which  is  an  old 
enemy  of  his,  and  often  attacks  him  very  severely,  quite 
doubling  him  up  during  the  acute  stage. 

Last  night  we  were  both  driven  into  a  state  of  temporary 
insanity  by  the  itching.  I  think  the  detestable  symptom 
must  bave  been  due  to  some  electrical  change  in  the  atmo- 
sphere, for  I  felt  my  hair  stand  on  end  all  over  my  body"; 
and  could  barely  allow  anything  to  touch  my  skin,  I  was  so 
excessively  sensitive  and  irritable  all  over  the  whole  cutaneous, 
surface.  Tbere  was  a  little  rain,  and,  wbenever  rain  does  fall. 
tbe  surface  of  the  ground  about  tbe  settlement  immediately 
afterwards  is  simply  a  seething  mass  of  maggots  and  other 
low  forms  of  animal  life.  Before  the  rain,  nothing  is  seen  ou 
tbe  surface  of  tbe  dry  ground,  excepting  layers  of  vegetable 


1888.]  .    •  SCARCITY   OF  FOOD.  185 

rubbish  and  ftecal  debris;  but  immediately  after  rain,  every 
particle  of  iiltli  seems  to  become  endowed  with  life.  These 
detestable  white  maggots  jump  so  high  that,  unless  one's 
boots  are  well  laced  up,  and  tied  above,  they  manage  to  drop 
in  between  the  stocking  and  boot. 

All  the  Manyuema  are  hard  at  work,  clearing  the  ground  to 
make  gardens  ;  even  the  little  children  are  out.  They  advance 
in  line  with  their  native  bill-hooks  (mundus),  and  chop  down 
all  the  undergrowth  of  shrubs,  &c. ;  this  they  collect  in  heaps. 
They  then  hoe  up  the  ground;  and  plant  rice,  and  Indian 
corn. 

It  was  really  prudent  to  have  sent  out  so  large  a  sufiari 
yesterday,  as  food  is  becoming  extremely  scarce  here  now. 

New  moon  to-night. 

Jan.  15. — Some  of  the  people  went  to  work  at  their  gardens  ; 
others  went  on  with  the  building  of  houses ;  but  a  certain 
section  of  superstitious  individuals  won't  do  any  work  for  the 
present,  because  it  is  new  moon.  These  auspicious  individuals 
tie  rags,  which  have  been  made  holy  by  some  mysterious 
process  of  doivaJi  (medicine),  around  their  limbs,  for  luck.  The 
weather  is  now  very  wet ;  and  I  feel  very  much  the  want  of  a 
second  shirt  and  coat  when  I  am  thoroughly  drenched,  as  1 
am  obliged  to  allow  my  clothes  to  dry  on  my  back ;  or  go 
naked  while  I  dry  them  some  other  way. 

Good-nature  seems  to  be  an  extremely  rare  commodity 
among  our  Zanzibari  friends  and  Manyuema  neighbours.  A 
poor  wretch  named  Tofik  arrived  (in  the  condition  of  a  skeleton) 
in  our  camp  to-day,  having  followed  up  the  track  of  Kilonga 
Longa's  caravan.  He  was  famished,  yet  none  of  his  Zanzibari 
comrades  would  allow  him  near  a  fire  or  into  their  huts.  This 
man,  be  it  remembered,  had  given  them  a  shoulder  of  goat  but 
a  day  or  two  ago.  There  really  is,  however,  a  plausible  ex- 
planation (if  not  excuse)  for  the  absence  of  good  Samaritanism 
among  these  people  under  the  circumstances,  as  the  poor 
creatures  who  become  so  reduced  by  starvation  smell  terribly ; 
the  colour  of  the  skin  becomes  an  ashen  grey,  the  hair  stands 
on  end  all  over  the  body,  and  the  skin  over  every  prominence 
ulcerates,  so  that  the  bones  actually  appear  through.  It  is  a 
deplorable  sight.  It  would  now  be  difficult  to  find  a  single 
Zanzibari  who  has  not  a  gangrenous  ulcer  on  each  hip,  and 
another  on  the  back  (over  the  sacrum) — which  have  been  pro- 


186  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.        [1888. 

diiced  by  the  pressure  of  lying  on  these  prominences.  Poor 
Nelson  is  in  as  bad  condition  as  the  worst  of  them. 

We  are  plagued  with  minute  ticks,  which  bury  themselves 
in  the  skin,  and  have  actually  to  be  dug  out  with  the  point  of 
a  knife.     They  cause  intense  irritation. 

My  donkey,  poor  beast,  is  always  getting  intermittent  fever. 
His  rectal  temperature  yesterday  was  106''  F.  He  always 
prefers  to  lie  on  the  top  of  heaps  of  refuse,  and  he  lives 
mainly  on  excrement,  which  he  collects  around  the  village ; 
he  usually  rej)oses  where  filth  is  most  abundant. 

Jan.  16. — To-day  we  received  a  visit  from  Kilonga  Longa. 
Nelson  did  the  interviewing,  as  I  was  away  paying  a  profes- 
sional visit.  He  afterwards  sent  us  three  cups  of  rice.  We 
have  now  introduced  a  new  scheme  of  diet :  we  live  on  two 
meals  a  day.  In  the  morning,  one  cup  of  rice,  made  into  rice- 
gruel,  has  to  sufSce  for  Umari,  Nelson,  and  myself.  Our  boys 
have  now  to  live  wholly  and  solely  on  mboga,  this  simj)ly 
means  that  they  live  by  grazing.  It  is  really  extraordinary 
that  they  stick  to  us  under  the  circumstances,  they  could 
do  so  much  better  (physically)  for  themselves  by  going  over 
to  the  Manynema,  who  would  give  them  a  couple  of  heads 
of  corn  a  day  for  their  work. 

Jan.  17. — We  had  our  cup  of  rice  gruel  (between  three  of 
us)  for  breakfast.  Luncheon  consisted  of  two  corns  each. 
Dinner :  one  cup  of  rice,  and  some  magotty  meat.  We  have 
negotiated  for  the  exchange  of  a  rifle.  We  receive  400  mohindi 
(heads  of  Indian  corn)  for  it,  and  five  cups  of  beans  into  the 
bargain.  Kilonga  Longa  and  all  his  chiefs  have  absolutely 
refused  to  give  us  any  food  at  any  other  price. 

Jan.  18. — Nelson  sold  a  rifle  to-day,  for  4^  fathoms  of  very 
inferior  calico ;  as  he  had  hardly  anything  to  cover  him  but 
one  blanket.  We  now  ration  ourselves  on  two  heads  of  mohindi 
three  times  a  day,  with  mboga.  Ismailia  made  a  furious  com- 
plaint that  my  donkey  had  eaten  some  of  his  corn.  I  begged 
off  the  poor  animal's  life  by  laboursome  petition ;  the  unhappy 
quadruped  has  now  nothing  on  his  bones  to  eat ;  otherwise 
my  humanity  might  not  have  been  so  energetically  applied. 
So  I  am  now  obliged  to  hire  a  boy,  at  three  heads  of  corn 
per  diem,  to  take  care  of  him,  and  prevent  his  trespassing ; 
otherwise  he  will  surely  be  killed  by  these  heartless  barbarians. 

The  Manyucma  men  wear  wooden  blocks  for  sandals ;  these 


1888.]  •  AnMY   CORPS    OF  ANTS.  187 

have  a  projecting  piece  sticking  up  between  the  great  toe  and 
the  second,  so  as  to  give  it  some  steadiness.  The  fashion 
appears  to  be  an  Arab  one. 

Jan.  19.' — On  questioning  the  men  who  had  accompanied 
Kilonga  Longa,  I  learned  from  them  that  the  natives  of  the 
forest  are  all  cannibals;  they  are,  however,  ashamed  of  the 
practice,  and  would  not  eat  human  flesh  in  their  presence. 

Nelson  took  his  first  walk  to-day.  I  am  still  unable  to 
walk  any  distance.  I  tried  a  short  effort  of  this  kind  on  the 
day  before  yesterday,  but  the  exertion  was  followed  by  a 
fourth  relapse  of  my  erysipelas.  The  Spring  season  is  now 
in  full  progress  here ;  every  plant  appears  to  be  budding, 
and  growing  up  with  great  rapidity.  Spring  commences  in 
December. 

A  column  of  ants,  of  about  four  inches  in  width,  and  densely 
marshalled,  has  now  been  continuously  passing  through  my 
tent  for  nearly  twenty-four  hours.  So  the  length  appears  to 
be  unlimited.  I  received  a  chicken  and  three  cups  of  rice 
to-day  from  Kilonga  Longa,  for  professional  attendance,  only  a 
successful  accouchement. 

Jan.  20. — Very  heavy  rain  to-day.  There  is  a  Manyuema 
doctor  here  with  Kilonga  Longa.  His  most  important  specific 
appears  to  consist  in  building  a  small  house  (like  a  hen's 
house),  conical  in  shape,  near  the  dwelling  of  any  person  who 
is  starting  off  on  an  ivory  expedition ;  this  secures  the  safe 
return  of  the  individual  concerned.  Each  caravan  is  accom- 
panied by  women,  who  carry  baskets  with  food,  &c.  These 
baskets  are  borne  on  the  back,  and  suspended  from  the  fore- 
head— not  carried  on  the  head,  as  our  Zanzibaris  convey  their 
burdens.  The  carriers  do  not,  like  our  porters,  cut  their  way 
through  the  bush ;  but  trail  along  the  native  tracks,  stooping 
under  the  low  natural  archways  which  the  branches  of  the 
undergrowth  form  across  the  path. 

The  medicine-man,  in  treating  the  sick,  prepares  drugs 
from  herbs ;  and  makes  white  and  red  streaks,  with  coloured 
substances,  on  the  surface  of  the  body.  The  natives  have 
great  faith  in  his  treatment;  he  is  greatly  respected  and 
looked  up  to,  and  holds  a  very  prominent  position.  There 
is  also  a  man  on  K.  L.'s  staff  whose  sole  employment  is  to 
repair  guns.  Another  makes  knives — with  ivory  handles.  A 
large  tusk  of  ivory  (sixty  lbs.)  can  be  bought  here  from  the 


188  EXPEHIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.  [1888. 

natives  for  a  small  iron  ring.  Every  man  who  has  any 
special  accomplishment,  such  as  those  referred  to,  is  called  in 
Kiawahili  a  "  Fundi." 

Jax.  21. — Kilonga  Longa  visited  us  to-day ;  he  said  that 
the  Zanzibaris  had  come  to  him  in  a  body  to  ask  for  food. 
The  poor  creatures  are,  of  course,  anxious,  as  so  many  of  their 
comrades  have  already  died.  He  came  to  tell  us  that  he 
could  give  them  no  more  food  whatever.  Some  of  the 
Zanzibaris  offered  themselves  as  slaves;  and  we  consented 
to  this  arrangement,  provided  they  were  fed  for  their  labour 
till  such  time  as  we  required  them.  This  would  not  be  agreed 
to.  Accordingly,  we  can  do  nothing,  as  we  were  left  here  on 
the  understanding  that  ourselves  and  our  Zanzibaris  were  to 
be  fed ;  and  now  we  get  little  or  nothing,  so  that  we  have 
had  to  sell  the  rifles  of  the  Expedition,  with  the  pious  hope 
that  we  will  be  able  to  pay  for  them  some  day.  Prices  are 
now  so  exorbitant,  that  if  we  were  to  sell  all  the  remaining 
rifles,  it  would  give  the  Zanzibaris  and  ourselves  but  a  few 
square  meals.  We  even  suggested  to  Kilonga  Longa  and 
his  crew  that  our  men  might  be  sent  to  the  friendly  Washenzi 
to  be  fed;  but  the  cautious  chiefs  said,  "No;  they  might 
grow  fat  and  strong,  and  then  Mr.  Stanley  would  return 
and  take  them  away."  It  is  sickening  to  the  last  degree  to 
observe  the  diplomacy  of  these  heartless  wretches  ;  it  is  heart- 
rending to  us  to  see  these  poor  creatures,  who  have  done  so 
much  hard  work  for  us,  now  staggering  about  as  skeletons, 
while  it  is  utterly  out  of  our  power  to  do  anything  for  them. 

The  boy  who  watched  my  donkey  has  gone. 

Jan.  22. — Kambola,  an  under-chief,  came  in  to-day  with 
loot;  including  some  ivory.  Umari,  our  interpreter,  is  very 
ill  with  acute  rheumatism.  I  have  recently  learned  that  the 
3Ianyuema  practise  a  primitive  form  of  massage  (as  indeed  do 
the  Zanzibaris).  They  place  the  patient  on  the  ground  and 
stand  on  his  loins,  then  pull,  rub,  and  squeeze  his  limbs  and 
trunk. 

We  arranged  with  a  chief  to  build  a  small  hut  for  our  boys 
and  Umari,  who  at  present  reside  in  the  open.  The  hut  is 
to  be  close  to  our  tents,  and  he  is  to  enclose  the  whole  with 
a  boma:  all  this  to  be  done  for  a  single  rifle.  I  thought 
this  rather  a  good  bargain,  as  bargains  go  here. 

It  may  appear  strange  that  we  two,  our  three  boys,  and 


1888.]  ■  CANNIBALISM.  189 

Umari,  cannot  do  all  this  ourselves  ;  but  it  is  quite  impossible, 
as  it  takes  the  constant  attention  of  a  couple  of  individuals 
to  watch  the  tents  and  keep  off  the  thieves.  Besides,  we  are 
all  skeletons  ;  neither  Nelson  nor  myself  can  walk  more  than 
a  few  yards  at  a  stretch. 

Jan.  23. — We  are  in  a  bad  way  for  food.  The  chiefs  seem 
to  think  that  we  have  no  stomachs.  The  picture  cards  from  a 
"  pack "  or  two,  which  I  brought  with  me,  got  us  many  a 
meal  while  they  lasted ;  but  now  the  entire  packs  have  been 
expended. 

Jan.  24. — I  was  called  out  of  bed  last  night  to  see  the  young 
goat,  as  it  was  bleating  very  much.  I  found  it  staggering 
about,  and  apparently  in  great  pain.  It  died  in  ten  minutes 
from  the  appearance  of  its  first  symptoms.  It  may  have  been 
stung  by  some  poisonous  reptile,  or  have  eaten  some  poisonous 
herb.  However,  the  Manyuema  ate  it,  and  I  made  no  attempt 
to  prevent  them. 

"We  will  be  obliged  to  eat  our  only  milch-goat,  the  attend- 
ance of  the  kid  being  necessary  to  keep  up  the  secretion  of 
milk.  It  is  the  practice  here  to  let  the  kid  always  run  with 
the  dam. 

Last  night,  one  of  the  slaves  went  to  the  river  to  draw 
water — a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards  from  the  village. 
He  was  set  on  by  his  comrades  on  the  way,  and  killed  and 
eaten  there  and  then.  Food  now  seems  to  be  really  scarce, 
indeed ! 

The  people  are  now  existing,  in  a  great  measure,  on  banana 
and  plantain  root,  which  is  very  stringy  and  tasteless.  The 
river,  from  which  we  draw  our  drinking  water,  is  polluted  with 
excrement;  which  is  swept  down  by  the  torrents  of  rain. 
These  people  ape  the  Arab  customs  in  every  way.  They 
wash  their  bodies  periodically  in  the  stream,  and  soil  it  with 
every  imaginable  variety  of  filth.  They  are  disgustingly 
dirty  in  their  habits  ;  they  squat  down — men  and  women 
together — and  act  up  to  their  belief  that  the  calls  of  nature 
have  a  prior  claim  to  tliose  of  decency.  Our  poor  Zanzibaris 
are  much  more  cleanly  in  their  habits.  I  do  wish  the  poor 
wretches  could  be  made  a  little  more  comfortable  than  they 
now  are. 


190  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FEOM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA. 

\Yelcome  relief  by  Lieutenant  Stairs  from  our  miserable  existence  at  Ipoto — 
We  part  from  Kilonga  Longa  and  the  IManyuema  on  the  best  terms — 
Incidents  of  the  march  to  Fort  Bodo — Scenery  viewed  from  Kilimani— 
Kelson  still  very  weak — Our  reception  by  Mr.  Stanley — Description  of 
Fort  Bodo — The  men  are  employed  road  making — Arrival  of  the 
Advance — Stairs  proceeds  to  Ugarrovvwa's  station  to  bring  up  the 
invalids —Mr.  Stanley  is  taken  very  ill  with  sub-acute  gastritis,  en- 
grossing all  my  attention — The  castor  oil  tree — Method  of  preparing 
castor  oil  by  the  natives  and  Zanzibaris— My  method  of  preparing  the 
same — Progress  of  my  patient — Seven  Zanzibaris  come  in  from  Ipoto — 
Mr.  Stanley  continues  to  improve — List  of  nutritive  medical  comforts 
carried  with  us  from  Yambuya — AVe  leave  Fort  Bodo  en  route  for  the 
Albert  Nyanza,  while  Nelson  and  the  invalids  are  left  behind — My 
experiences  of  ulcers  during  the  march  through  the  equatorial  forest — 
Hostile  attitude  of  the  natives — Ferrying  the  column  across  the  Ituri 
Eiver — Emerging  from  the  forest,  thus  ending  my  twelve  months  of 
forest  existence — Native  tobacco—  Fetteh,  our  interpreter,  wounded — 
The  natives  attack  us — Their  way  of  passing  the  alarm  from  village  to 
village — Peace  arranged — First  news  of  Emin  Pasha  or  Malleju—\\^\t 
from  Mazamboni,  the  chief  of  the  district — Jephson  goes  through  the  rite 
of  "  blood  brotherhood "  with  Mazamboni — We  are  mistaken  for 
Wara-Sura,  so  explaining  our  hostile  reception  by  the  natives. 

Jan.  25. — Kilonga  Longa  came  up  to  me  this  morning 
(8.30  A.M.)  with  a  broken  Winchester  rifle,  which  he  asked  me 
to  repair.  Of  course  I  made  a  show  of  overhauling  it,  and 
trying  what  I  could  in  the  way  of  mending  the  damaged 
article.  At  11  a.m.  as  he  was  sitting  by  my  tent,  he  suddenly 
started  up,  and  said  that  a  suffari  (caravan)  was  coming.  After 
a  few  minutes,  Ismailia  came  and  said  that  his  sentries  had 
come  in,  and  told  him  that  a  white  man  was  coming — many' 
shots  were  fired  off,  and  a  drum  was  beaten,  to  hail  the 
advent  of  the  stranger.  We  could  scarcely  speak  for  joy,  as  Ave 
anticipated  some  relief  from  our  dreary  existence  of  imprison- 
ment and  starvation.  After  a  few  minutes  more,  Stairs 
appeared,  leading  a  column  of  the  finest-looking,  fat,  muscular, 
glossy-skinned  men  I  ever  saw,  the  same  men  who  had  left  us 
in  skeleton  form  three  months  ago  (less  by  tAvo  days).     They 


1888.]      FROM,  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       191 

cheered,  and  we  cheered  ;  they  fired  a  volley,  and  both  Nelson 
and  myself  fired  off  every  chamber  of  our  revolvers  in 
salutation.  It  was  a  moment  of  excitement,  a  reprieve  from 
the  death  sentence  which  we  had  so  long  felt  pressing  over 
and  around  us.  The  men  kissed  our  hands,  and  in  every  way 
appeared  fully  conscious  that  they  were  doing  a  good  act  in 
rescuing  us.  When  here  formerly,  they  were  in  the  condition 
of  serfs  to  the  Manyuema  wretches  ;  now  they  paraded  about 
with  a  manly  pride  of  themselves. 

Stairs  told  us  what  had  happened  since  we  had  parted ;  how 
they  had  found  food  at  a  distance  of  ten  days  from  here  ;  had 
emerged  from  the  forest  into  the  open  plain  ;  how  they  had 
had  some  severe  fighting  on  the  way,  that  Mr.  Stanley  and 
Jephson  are  working  hard  at  Fort  Bodo,  but  still  ivitliout 
news  of  Emin.  He  was  delighted  to  see  us,  and  our  joy  to 
have  him  back  can  hardly  be  described.  He  was  prepared 
with  his  renovated  band  to  bring  away  ourselves  and  our 
invalids,  and  almost  all  the  loads  ;  but  he  had  brought  nothing 
to  pay  for  the  hospitality  of  the  Manyuema.  We  talked  over 
all  the  events  of  the  past  three  months ;  and,  after  an  hour  or 
so,  we  went  to  have  a  shauri  with  the  chiefs.  They  were  sur- 
ju'ised  that  no  pay  was  forthcoming  for  their  goodness  to  us, 
but  they  consented  to  let  us  go — with  our  burdens.  This  was 
1  )ut  prudent  on  their  part,  however,  as  with  Stairs'  men  we  could 
now  easily  sweep  the  camp,  most  of  the  strong  men  of  the 
3Ianyuema  being  away  on  suffari.  Stairs  is  a  really  good 
hearted  fellow,  and  did  not  neglect  to  bring  us  plenty  of  food. 
So  we  killed  the  fatted  calf,  which  on  this  occasion  took  the 
shape  of  a  milch  goat — our  only  all,  excepting  a  single  cup  of 
Indian  corn.  We  sat  up  late  to  prolong  our  rejoicings ;  and 
altogether  I  felt  that  this  relief  was  the  happiest  event  of  my 
life.  I  had  said  several  times,  lately,  to  Nelson  that  I  believed 
that  Mr.  Stanley  would  rescue  us  before  the  three  months  were 
ended,  but  Nelson  did  not  feel  quite  so  sanguine.  I  had  felt 
the  idea  hover  over  me  as  a  sort  of  prevision  (  ?  second  sight) 
that  we  would  be  relieved  within  the  three  months  from  the 
date  of  Mr.  Stanley's  departure.  A  dreamy  idea  to  this  effect 
had  encouraged  me  to  keep  up  during  many  a  weary  hour  of 
depression.  As  the  news  of  our  rescue  spread  around,  our 
wretched  men  began  to  drop  in,  and  their  horribly  skeleton- 
like outlines  presented  an  appalling  contrast  to  the  appear- 


192  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOniAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

ance  of  the  men  who  had  been  brought  back  by  Stairs.  Many 
of  our  poor  creatures  were  away  at  native  villages;  many 
more  had  died :  some  of  them  from  the  cruelty  of  the 
Manyuema;  some  from  the  immediate  effects  of  starvation 
and  disease ;  some,  I  have  reason  to  believe,  were  eaten  by  our 
hosts,  if  the  remains  of  a  fire,  and  the  presence  of  recently 
stripped  human  bones  in  its  neighbourhood,  can  be  taken  as 
circumstantial  evidence. 

Jan.  2G. — We  felt  to-day  that  we  had  received  a  new  lease 
of  life :  so  we  set  with  vigour  to  do  some  packing  and  re- 
arranging of  loads,  selection  of  boxes,  &c. ;  which  we  had 
commenced  last  night,  but  did  not  continue  long.  We  had 
another  shauri  with  tlie  chiefs  this  morning ;  as  usual,  they 
begged  everything  they  saw,  but  Stairs  limited  their  appropri- 
ation to  two  rifles  and  a  box  of  ammunition,  which  he  gave  to 
Kilonga  Longa.  This,  with  what  he  had  already  got  from 
Nelson  and  myself,  was  very  liberal  payment  indeed,  for  the 
dismal  entertainment  he  had  provided  us.  From  Nelson 
alone  he  had  got  nearly  £100  worth  of  material,  including 
rifle,  watch,  &c.,  <S:c.  Uledi  went  down  with  the  crew  for  the 
boat,  and  met  us  by  another  road,  when  we  had  started. 

A  heavy  fall  of  rain  during  the  morning  obliged  us  to 
postpone  our  departure  from  Ipoto  for  a  couple  of  hours,  but 
at  11  A.M.  we  were  able  to  lighten  our  hearts,  by  turning  our 
backs  on  our  Manyuema  hosts,  to  whose  benevolence  we  are 
so  much  indebted.  Before  going,  I  offered  my  donkey  to 
Kilonga  Longa  as  a  present ;  but  he  was  refused.  I  then 
suggested  that  he  might  shoot  him  as  food  for  his  men,  but 
this  permission  was  also  declined.  I  was  desirous  to  get  rid  of 
the  poor  animal,  as  I  had  never  ridden  it,  and  did  not  expect 
to  now ;  as  it  was  i^hysically  impossible  for  me  to  bring  it 
further  on  account  of  the  great  number  of  huge  fallen  trees 
which  lay  here  and  there  in  all  directions  in  the  clearing- 
through  which  we  were  obliged  to  make  our  way.  Sometimes 
we  would  have  to  march  along  the  trunk  of  a  tree  ten  or 
ififteen  feet  from  the  ground,  and,  as  the  poor  donkey  could  not 
possibly  be  expected  to  take  part  in  such  gymnastics,  I  was 
obliged  to  surrender  him  to  the  inevitable.  Accordingly, 
having  brought  him  as  far  as  I  could — Zanzibar  to  Ipoto 
representing  a  fair  pilgrimage — I  asked  Stairs  to  shoot  my 
Arab  steed,  having  failed  to  sell  him. 


1888.]      FROM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       193 

We  parted  on  the  best  terms  from  the  Manyuema,  bidding 
a  friendly  farewell  to  each  and  all,  although  I  could  have 
■crucified  every  one  of  the  wretches  for  their  treatment  of  us 
and  our  men.  We  left  some  loads  with  Kilonga  Longa  which 
we  are  to  call  for  again;  among  these  is  my  hammerless 
shot  gun,  which  I  could  have  sold  for  food  had  it  not  been 
■disabled  by  Ismailia. 

We  camped  for  the  night  at  a  distance  of  three  miles  from 
the  Manyuema. 

Jan.  27. — Uledi  arrived  at  our  camp  with  the  boat 
yesterday,  after  we  had  halted  for  the  night.  We  left  early 
this  morning,  and  halted  at  10.30  a.m.;  but  owing  to  the 
difficulty  in  getting  the  section  of  the  boat  along.  Stairs,  who 
remained  with  the  rear  guard,  did  not  reach  our  camp  until 
•5  P.M.  We  had  marched  about  three  miles.  Nelson  is  still 
very  shaky  on  his  legs :  both  he  and  I  have  had  a  very  severe 
turn  of  indigestion ;  which  we  attribute  to  eating  of  the  fat 
goat's  meat,  yesterday  and  the  day  before.  I  feel  the  fatigue  of 
walking  greatly  ;  I  drag  myself  slowly  and  painfully  along,  and 
am  unable  to  keep  up  with  the  men. 

Jan.  28. — I  had  another  return  of  my  erysipelas  to-day ;  it 
always  appears  in  the  same  place  (around  left  hip,  and  extend- 
ing down  front  of  thigh).  We  stopped  at  9  a.m.,  after  a  march 
of  two  miles  ;  and  camped  for  the  night.  The  boat  will  hardly 
Teach  us  to-night,  on  account  of  the  obstructions  in  the  way ; 
produced  by  undergrowth,  logs,  streams,  &c. 

Jan.  29.— We  marched  till  11  a.m.,  doing  about  six  miles. 
Stairs  sent  back  seven  men  to  one  of  the  native  villages  in  the 
rear,  to  recover  two  rifles  which  had  been  taken  from  our  men 
last  night  by  the  Manyuema :  these  rifles  were  handed  back  to 
•our  party  in  safety.     The  boat  arrived  about  4  p.m. 

Jan.  30. — We  marched  till  8.30  a.m. — about  four  miles. 
-One  of  my  invalids,  Baraka,  died  on  the  road. 

Jan.  31. — We  marched  about  four  miles,  and  halted  for  the 
day.  Sudi  Ben  Ali  and  Khamis  AVadi  Zied  died  on  the  road. 
There  is  no  food  in  the  camp,  and  the  weaklings  are  dropping 
-out  by  the  way. 

Feb.  1. — We  marched  this  morning  till  we  reached  a  deserted 
village,  where  we  secured  a  goat.  The  flesh  of  this  animal  was 
distributed  to  the  weaklings  and  the  boatmen — to  the  latter  in 
•  consideration  of  their  having  the  hardest  work.    When  we  had 


194  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [ISSS. 

made  camp,  the  men  went  oif  searching  for  food,  but  found 
very  little. 

Feb.  2. — AYe  camped  at  10  a.m.  in  the  morning,  after  a 
march  of  a  few  miles.  In  this  course,  we  passed  through  a  few 
ruined  villages.  We  also  passed  a  Manyuema  caravan,  return- 
ing with  plunder,  after  raiding  the  surrounding  country. 
They  had  with  them  a  large  number  of  chickens,  with  great 
quantities  of  bananas  and  corn.  We  envied  them  their  ac- 
quisitions, however  much  we  prided  ourselves  on  detesting  the 
means  by  whicli  they  have  been  obtained  by  these  human 
harpies. 

Feb.  3. — We  marched  five  miles  to-day.  Stairs  gave  me- 
letters  to  Mr.  Stanley  and  to  Jephson  ;  as  Nelson,  myself,  and 
all  the  men — except  those  employed  in  carrying  the  boat — 
must  go  on  to  Fort  Bodo,  and  not  wait  for  the  boat,  as  this, 
would  cause  great  delay  and  more  hunger.  We  calculate 
getting  there  by  the  7th  or  8th ;  Stairs — bringing  ujd  the  boat 
— will  arrive  about  two  or  three  days  later.  I  am  to  leave  a 
letter  for  Stairs  at  Kilimani,  on  the  right  hand  side  of  the  door 
of  a  certain  hut,  saying  how  we  had  been  getting  on,  and 
whether  the  natives  had  attacked  us. 

[The  letter  was  found  by  Stairs  in  its  place  in  due  course.] 

Had  another  relapse  of  my  erysipelas  to-day. 

Feb.  4. — Our  camp  last  night  was  at  a  village,  on  the  side 
of  a  steep  hill.  We  left  it  early  this  morning,  with  thirty-four 
loads,  and  marched  to  Mr.  Stanley's  old  camp.  Here  was  very 
little  food  ;  a  certain  amount  of  starvation  prevailed  amongst 
us,  but  we  could  live  a  little  while  on  hope  now,  as  we  knew  that 
relief  was  not  very  far  off.  On  the  march  we  passed  a  few 
villages,  Avhich  had  been  burnt  by  the  natives.  This  appears  to 
be  the  almost  universal  custom  here,  whenever  an  enemy  passes 
through  a  village,  the  natives  leave,  and  burn  it  down.  I  saw 
a  huge  elephant  within  a  few  yards  of  me  to-day.  They  are 
very  plentiful  in  these  parts,  and  destroy  banana  plantations 
wholesale, 

Feb.  5. — We  arrived  this  morning  at  Kilimani,  where  we 
got  the  first  good  view  of  surrounding  scenery  since  we 
had  left  Stanley  Pool.  During  the  whole  of  this  dismal 
interval  no  such  thing  as  a  landscape  was  ever  exposed  to  our 
vision  at  any  stage  of  our  progress.  We  can  now  see  over 
the  tops  of  the  forest  trees — which  had  so  long  formed  our- 


1888.]      FROM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       195 

prison  bars — to  a  distance  of  at  least  twenty  miles  around. 
There  is,  however,  nothing  but  a  dense  covering  of  foliage  to 
be  seen  over  the  face  of  the  country,  so  far  as  our  vision  can 
reach. 

The  men  are  now  collecting  plantains,  which  abound  here.. 
The  natives  have  deserted  this  village,  most  of  which  has  been, 
recently  burned  down.  I  am  getting  anxious  about  Stairs  and. 
his  party,  as  they  have  little  or  no  food,  and  no  means  of 
getting  it ;  and  they  are  relying  on  me  to  send  them  supplies- 
from  the  Fort,  when  I  have  got  there  and  seen  Mr.  Stanley. 

Feb.  6. — We  started  early,  but  were  soon  obliged  to  halt  for- 
the  day,  on  account  of  Nelson ;  who  is  still  very  weak,  and,  of 
course,  has  not  much  power  of  endurance  ;  and  we  have  no 
porters  to  carry  him.  Poor  fellow  I  he  has  certainly  been  by- 
far  the  greatest  martyr  of  any  of  us  to  the  relief  of  Emin  Pasha ; 
and  it  will  require  a  large  quantity  of  earthly  glory  hereafter- 
to  make  up  to  him  for  what  he  has  suffered. 

Feb.  7. — We  marched  about  seven  miles  to-day.  We  passed 
one  of  our  leader's  former  camps;  also  a  native  (Washenzi)' 
village,  which  consisted  of  a  group  of  small  round  huts,  built 
of  saplings,  and  thatched  with  the  leaf  of  the  phrynium.  We 
were  obliged  to  dig  holes  in  the  ground  to  get  some  water  to- 
drink.  This  primitive  form  of  artesian  well,  a  few  feet  deep,, 
when  prepared,  yielded  us  a  modification  of  aqua  imra  which, 
we  felt  squeamish  enough  in  drinking ;  even  after  filtering  and., 
prolonged  boiling,  as  it  was  both  muddy  and  soft. 

Feb.  8. — We  started  early,  and  arrived  at  Fort  Bodo  at 
11  A.M.  This  station  is  situated  in  the  country  of  Ibwiri.  We- 
entered  with  our  flag  flying,  and  fired  a  few  rounds  as  a  salute,, 
to  emphasise  our  advent.  This  performance  is  always  gone 
through  in  these  parts,  whenever  a  caravan  arrives  at  its  des-- 
tination.  I  met  Mr.  Stanley  first  of  all,  who  gave  me  a  warm 
welcome ;  then  Jephson,  who  also  said  that  he  was  glad  to  see 
me  ;  they  were  both  fairly  well.  Our  leader  was  quite  cheery.. 
Nelson  arrived  at  about  o  p.m.,  and  received  a  hearty  welcome 
from  all. 

The  manner  of  entrance  to  this  fort  is  almost  as  great  a 
puzzle  to  a  European  as  to  an  uninitiated  native.  The 
establishment  has  four  watch-towers,  and  a  granary  filled  with 
about  six  tons  of  Indian  corn.  Several  huts  have  already 
been  constructed ;    one  for  Mr.  Stanley,  one  for  the  officers, 

o  2 


T96  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 

one  for  the  goats,  two  for  the  Mimiapara  or  head-men,  and  ten 
for  the  other  men  of  the  Expedition.  They  are  all  whitewashed, 
— with  lye  made  with  white  ashes,  as  a  substitute  for  lime. 
The  ashes  were  procured  by  burning  the  huge  logs  which  had 
lain  about  in  the  clearing.  Each  hut  has  very  thick  walls,  built 
of  mud,  with  a  strong  skeleton  frame-work  of  interlaced  sap- 
lings ;  which,  in  their  turn,  are  kept  steady  by  strong  poles 
fixed  deeply  in  the  ground.  The  roofs  are  sloping,  and  thatched 
with  leaves  of  the  phrynium ;  and  each  has  a  good  verandah 
to  furnish  a  cool  shade.  Our  leader  has  a  great  fancy  for  making 
roads ;  when  a  standing  camp  has  been  made,  the  first  thing 
he  does  is  to  make  a  road  or  two,  in  some  direction  which  may 
be  utilised.  Two  have  been  constructed  here,  the  "Avenue 
Nyanza,"  and  the  "Avenue  Manyuema,"  indicating  respec- 
tively the  line  of  our  future  advance,  and  that  which  we  have 
already  traversed. 

There  is  a  rich  supply  of  plantains  over  a  radius  of  a  couple 
of  miles  from  here.  Here  is  also  a  good  water  supply.  We 
have  three  cows,  one  calf,  and  about  twenty  goats.  Accord- 
ingly, a  milk  ration,  of  nearly  a  cupful  to  each  European,  is 
supplied  night  and  morning.  About  four  acres  of  the  adjacent 
soil  has  been  thoroughly  cleared,  tilled,  and  planted  with  Indian 
corn,  and  about  ten  acres  more  are  now  undergoing  the  clear- 
ing process,  in  preparation  for  the  sowing  of  corn  and  beans. 
Every  one  looks  well-fed  and  happy.  The  influence  is  con- 
tagious :  we  seem  to  have  got  under  the  benign  influence  of  the 
lucky  stars  at  last !  An  enormous  amount  of  manual  labour 
has  been  done  here  since  the  arrival  of  the  advance  force ; 
building  and  fortifying  the  encampment,  clearing  and  tilling 
the  farm,  &c. 

A  party  of  men  were  sent  back,  to  assist  Stairs  and  his  men 
in  bringing  up  the  boat. 

Feb.  9. — I  received  orders  this  morning  to  go  out  and  take 
charge  of  a  party  of  axe-men,  in  the  extension  of  the  Avenue 
Nyanza.  About  twenty  members  of  our  collected  force  are 
still  laid  up  with  ulcers.  The  work  commences  at  7  a.m.,  and 
goes  on  till  6  p.m.;  with  an  interval  for  food  and  rest  (11 — 
12.30).  The  sun  is  intensely  hot;  but  the  work  must  be 
persisted  in,  with  the  object  of  having  a  full  granary  by-and-by. 
Still  1  never  see  any  sunstroJce,  and  I  often  wonder  at  it ;  not 
so  much  in  the  case  of  our  black  friends — who  are  protected  by 


1888.]      FROM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       197 

nature  with  their  cutaneous  pigment  and  sub-cutaneous  oil — as 
in  our  own  case,  who  have  no  such  natural  shiekls,  and  use 
very  little  artificial  protection. 

Feb.  10. — Jephson  was  sent  on  suffiiri  to-day,  with  thirty 
men.  He  started  on  fifteen  minutes'  notice,  taking  nothing 
with  him  but  what  he  stood  in,  with  the  addition  of  an  old 
mackintosh.  He  wore  boots  of  his  own  manufacture,  of  the 
fashion  of  Veldtschoons,  which  in  all  probability  will  be  left 
buried  while  crossing  some  muddy  marsh,  where  elephants 
love  to  wallow. 

Of  the  twenty-nine  men  who  had  been  left  with  me  at  the 
Manyuema  camp :  eleven  perished  there,  three  others  have 
succumbed  on  the  march,  and  I  am  afraid  that  many  of  those 
who  are  still  behind  will  never  reach  here. 

Feb.  11. — The  healthy  men  are  hard  at  work — cutting  the 
logs  into  pieces,  and  clearing  the  ground  to  prolong  our  avenue. 
Now  we  appreciate  the  value  of  the  hoes,  the  billhooks,  &c.,  &c., 
which  our  leader's  previous  experience  had  induced  him  to 
bring  with  him. 

Feb.  12. — Stairs  arrived  with  the  boat.  Most  of  the  cutting 
of  huge  trees,  and  subsequent  splitting  of  the  timber,  was  done 
with  native  axes — of  all  sizes,  made  in  native  foundries  from 
crude  iron  ore. 

Feb.  14. — Jephson  returned  from  his  excursion  to-day, 
bringing  nine  goats. 

Feb.  16. — Stairs  left  this  morning  with  twenty-three  men 
and  two  boys.  They  are  proceeding  to  Ugarrowwa's  station — 
a  march  of  about  200  miles — and  are  to  bring  up  the  men  (fifty- 
six  in  number)  who  had  been  left  there  (invalided)  on  our  way 
up.  He  expects  to  be  back  in  a  little  over  a  month.  Twenty  of 
his  men  are  to  go  on  to  meet  the  Rear  Column,  with  letters 
from  Mr.  Stanley,  and  to  show  them  the  way  hither.  Each  of 
them  has  got  a  gratuity  for  the  work.  Mr.  Stanley  is  to  go  on 
to  the  Albert  Nyanza,  for  the  second  time,  taking  the  boat 
with  him,  and  will  be  accompanied  by  Jephson.  I  am  to 
be  left  here,  with  Nelson  and  the  invalids.  I  do  not  like 
this  :  so  am  asking  our  leader  to  bring  me  on  to  the  lake.  Poor 
Nelson  is  broken  down  generally,  and  is  ailing  badly  with 
ulcers  and  rheumatism.  Mr.  Stanley  says  that  he  expects  to 
be  back  here  in  four  months.  If  Stairs  returns  with  the 
men  within  one  month,  he  is  to  follow  up  Mr.  Stanley  who 


198  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

will  go  slowly  so  as  to  give  liim  the  cliance  of  catcbing 
liim  up. 

Our  men  are  now  working  bard  bere,  every  day,  in  tbo  con- 
•■struction  of  a  ditcb,  ten  feet  wide  by  ten  feet  deep,  extending 
around  tbe  east  side  of  tbe  Fort.  Tbey  bave  already  gone  to 
■even  a  greater  deptb  tban  tbis,  in  some  places,  without  striking 
the  rock. 

Feb.  17. — Mr.  Stanley  asked  me  to  examine  bis  arm  to-day. 
He  has  been  suffering  great  pain,  and  is  looking  worn  and 
iinxious,  and  sickish  all  over.  He  still,  however,  preserves  his 
appetite.  I  found  that  be  has  been  suffering  from  inflam- 
mation of  one  of  his  axillary  glands  (on  tbe  left  side)  which 
will  probably  go  on  to  suppuration.  I  recommended  to  keep 
it  continuously  covered  with  hot  poultices  of  banana  flour,  or 
Indian  corn  meal,  till  suppuration  is  promoted. 

Feb.  18. — I  was  sent  for  at  3  a.m.,  to  see  Mr.  Stanley.  He 
was  suffering  from  great  pain  in  the  epigastric  region ;  and, 
indeed,  apparently  over  tbe  whole  surface  of  tbe  abdomen,  with 
a  good  deal  of  hepatic  tenderness,  especially  in  tbe  vicinity  of 
the  gall-bladder.  He  said  that  it  is  the  same  illness  which 
had  brought  him  to  tbe  brink  of  death  on  each  of  three  former 
occasions.  One  of  these  attacks  occurred  when  be  was  residing 
in  chambers  in  Bond  Street,  and  bad  lasted  three  months. 
So  he  is  naturally  very  anxious  about  the  result. 

Feb.  19. — The  illness  of  our  chief  was,  of  course,  my  great 
care  to-day.  I  kept  him  on  an  exclusive  milk-diet.  The 
milk  was  always  given  cold,  and  diluted  with  almost  an  equal 
quantity  of  water.  There  is  still  great  pain  and  tenderness 
over  the  stomach,  accompanied  by  very  distressing  vomiting 
of  a  dark  fluid.  The  rejected  matter  is  evidently  stained  with 
some  blood.  There  is  also  great  flatulence.  He  was  quite 
slee^^less  during  the  night.  I  applied  turpentine  stupes,  and 
gave  forty  minims  of  tinct,  opii  by  the  mouth  ;  followed,  as  tbe 
retching  continued,  by  half  a  grain  of  morphine,  administered 
bypodermically  (at  bed-time).  Tbe  latter  gave  great  ease.  I 
sat  with  him  all  night  and  all  day ;  the  vomiting  continued,  at 
short  intervals,  all  the  time.  Tbe  tongue  is  covered  with  a. 
thick  white  fur,  and  tbe  skin  is  bathed  in  a  profuse  clammy 
perspiration.  The  pulse  and  respiration  are  both  very  rapid  : 
he  has  fever,  which  is  now  assuming  an  intermittent  type.  Tbis 
form  of  fever  develops  when  one  is  prostrated  in  tbis  climate 


1888.]      FROM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       199 

from  any  cause,  be  it  what  it  may.  I  applied  poultices,  made 
with  meal  prepared  from  Indian  corn,  and  sprinkled  with 
laudanum  over  the  surface.     The  stomach  is  very  irritable. 

Feb.  20. — Mr.  Stanley  still  very  ill,  and  suffering  intense 
pain  ;  so  that  I  now  give  a  large  dose  of  morphine  morning 
and  evening.  I  have  now  used  up  my  stock  of  castor-oil,  but 
I  will  be  able  to  get  a  fresh  supply,  as  the  castor-oil  tree  is 
found  growing  all  the  way  across  equatorial  Africa,  and  the 
natives  use  it  a  good  deal  for  rubbing  over  their  bodies, 
'especially  when  they  are  suffering  from  any  local  pain.  So  I 
.collected  a  quantity  of  the  seeds  and  expressed  the  oil ;  which 
I  find  quite  as  good  and  as  effective  as  that  which  I  had  brought 
with  me.  The  only  difference  appeared  to  be  that  the  oil  of  my 
manufacture  was  not  so  clear  and,  accordingly,  of  course,  not  so 
pretty  to  look  at.  I  have  used  this  oil  as  a  soothing  application 
to  the  men's  ulcers,  and  gave  it  to  them  as  a  medicine  when 
required.  I  also  encouraged  them  to  anoint  themselves  with  it, 
.as  it  made  the  unhealthy  skins  smooth  and  glossy  ;  and  the 
rubbing  was  in  itself  a  good  exercise — a  self-imposed  massage, 
in  fact — while  a  portion  of  the  fatty  constituents  were  un- 
>doubtedly  absorbed.  I  have  had  the  opportunity  of  noticing 
•during  these  experiments,  that  the  application  of  the  oil  over 
the  c'ltaneous  surface  gave  the  individual  a  comfortable  sensa- 
tion of  comparative  coolness  during  exposure  to  the  sun ;  and 
I  learned  that  it  is  customary  with  the  natives,  when  they  are 
obliged  to  undergo  a  prolonged  exposure  to  the  solar  rays,  to 
prepare  themselves  by  smearing .  themselves  all  over  with  a 
thick  layer  of  oil  or  fat.  Our  Zanzibaris  gave  me  a  very 
favourable  account  of  its  cooling  effects. 

The  castor-oil  is  prepared  by  the  natives  (and  also  by  our 
Zanzibaris)  by  toasting  the  seeds,  in  a  pot  or  pan,  over  live 
embers  for  a  short  time,  then  putting  them  into  a  large 
khino  (wooden  mortar),  pounding  them  into  a  iDulp,  and 
boiling  this  pulp  with  water.  The  oil  floats  to  the  surface  of 
the  water  during  the  ebullition ;  and,  when  cool,  the  palm  of 
the  hand  is  placed  in  contact  with  the  layer  of  oil,  some 
of  which  adheres  to  it,  and  is  dropped  into  the  vessel  prepared 
to  receive  it,  by  drawing  the  oiled  palm  of  the  hand  tightly, 
from  heel  to  finger-tips,  athwart  the  brim.  The  oil,  of  course, 
slowly  trickles  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  vessel;  and  this 
vcrude  performance  is  repeated  till  the  entire  film  has  been 


200  EXrEBIENGES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.  [1888.. 

removed  from  the  surface  of  the  boiled  ^Yater.  The  process  is 
a  slow  one,  as  may  easily  be  understood  from  the  description,, 
but  quite  rapid  enough  for  ordinary  African  tastes. 

The  oil  prepared  in  this  way  was  quite  dark  in  colour, 
having  a  burnt  appearance  and  unpleasant  odour,  due  to  the- 
fact  that  the  shell  of  the  seed  was  always  burnt  during, 
the  roasting  process ;  and  this  scorched  portion  was  always 
pounded  up,  and  extracted  Avith  the  rest.  Accordingly,  I  was- 
induced  to  try  and  patent  a  new  process  of  preparation,  by 
which  some  of  the  unpleasant  characteristics  of  this  home- 
made oil  might  be  removed  :  I  had  a  quantity  of  seeds  toasted^ 
after  which  the  burnt  shells  were  all  removed  by  careful  pick- 
ing, and  the  seed  alone  was  subjected  to  the  pounding  and 
boiling  process.  The  resulting  oil  floated  to  surface  of  th& 
water  as  clear  and  translucent  as  any  specimen  of  the  "  cold 
drawn  "  to  which  I  used  to  be  treated  in  my  boyish  days.  Both 
Europeans  and  Africans  have  taken  kindly  to  this  oil  of  my 
manufacture  ;  and  drink  it  whenever  the  production  of  its  effects 
are  desirable.  It  is  also  used  for  inunction,  and  has  turned  out 
handy  in  the  cleansing  and  brightening  of  our  rifles,  as  well  as 
forming  a  soothing  dressing  for  ulcers. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  still  very  poorly  this  evening ;  he  sweats 
most  profusely,  and  when  he  sleeps  for  any  little  time,  is 
tortured  by  horrible  dreams.  I  am  keeping  turpentine  stupes 
constantly  applied.  The  gland  in  the  arm-pit  is  kept  assidu- 
ously poulticed — with  extract  of  belladonna  smeared  over  each 
new  poultice.  It  is  very  painful  and  inclined  to  suppurate ; 
but  I  have  thought  that  there  was  a  chance  of  its  undergoing 
resolution,  on  which  account  I  used  the  belladonna  rather 
copiously. 

Feb.  21. — Jephson  sat  up  last  night  with  Mr.  Stanley,  as  I 
was  knocked  up  for  want  of  sleep  ;  having  sat  up  two  nights  in 
succession.  He  feels  a  little  better  now,  but  I  am  still  very 
anxious  about  him ;  as  the  ease  which  he  has  experienced  for 
the  last  few  hours  is  really  due  to  his  increasing  collapse. 
His  pulse  is  extremely  quick  and  weak,  and  his  entire  con- 
dition very  unpromising.  When  first  called  to  see  him  in  the 
early  morning,  I  thought,  from  the  prominence  of  the  hepatic 
symptoms,  and  the  great  tenderness  over  the  situation  of  the 
gall  bladder,  together  with  excruciating  pain,  that  the  symp- 
toms might  be  simply  those  of  the  impaction  of  a  gall-stone  ; 


1888.]      FROM  FOET  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       201 

but  there  is  no  doubt  now  that  the  case  is  one  of  sub-acute 
gastritis,  with  intense  congestion  of  the  liver  and  spleen.  He 
cannot  sleep,  night  or  daj',  till  he  has  had  a  large  dose  of 
morphia,  followed  by  Sali's  massage  of  the  feet  and  legs.  I 
keep  two  boys  always  in  the  room  at  night  (or  at  the  door 
sleeping)  to  be  ready  for  this  work,  and  also  to  be  ready  to 
fetch  whatever  may  be  wanted ;  but  they  are  so  fond  of  sleep, 
and  snore  so  boisterously,  that  I  am  obliged  to  rouse  them 
every  few  minutes,  to  prevent  them  from  disturbing  him. 

The  pain  recurred  badly  this  evening ;  so  I  gave  a  hypo- 
dermic dose  of  morphine,  with  a  corrective  of  atropine.  I 
also  give  him  bismuth  and  bicarbonate  of  soda  in  his  milk. 
He  is  feeling  easier  to-night,  but  is  extremely  weak. 

Feb.  21. — I  sat  up  the  whole  of  last  night,  continually  apply- 
ing warm  stupes  over  the  stomach  and  liver,  and  poultices  to 
the  affected  armpit:  for  food  I  gave  him  milk  and  water 
only.  The  cow's  milk  agrees  with  his  stomach  much  better 
than  the  goat's  ;  the  latter  being  too  rich.  We  have  but  one 
cow,  and  a  couple  of  goats ;  if  these  were  to  die,  my  patient 
must  follow  ;  for  all  our  European  provisions — excepting  some 
blue-mouldy  tea  and  coffee — have  disappeared,  months  ago. 
He  had  his  first  good  sleep  to-night ;  it  lasted  from  11  p.m.  to 
2  A.M ;  and  he  afterwards  dozed  at  intervals.  He  feels  some- 
what stronger  to-day ;  but  it  is  still  touch  and  go  with  him  : 
he  is  excessively  weak,  even  now.  His  tongue  is  still  heavily 
coated  with  fur.  At  2  a.m.  this  morning,  on  awakening  from 
sleep,  he  felt  a  return  of  the  pain ;  so  I  gave  him  another 
hypodermic  injection  of  morphine  and  atropine,  followed  by 
the  application  of  hot  stupes,  &c.  I  was  glad  to  see  that  he 
fancied  a  short  smoke  this  morning,  and  chatted  a  little.  I 
have  no  doubt  this  attack  of  gastritis  was  brought  on  by 
indigestible  food — forest  fruits,  leaves  of  trees,  "  popped  " 
(toasted)  corn,  &c.,  &c. — used  when  the  stomach  had  already 
been  greatly  reduced  in  tone  and  secreting  power  by  pro- 
longed starvation ;  and  all  this  assisted  by  the  use  of  large 
doses  of  quinine  to  allay  the  fever  from  which  he  had  very 
frequently  suffered. 

He  hurt  his  inflamed  arm  to-day  ;  so  it  is  very  painful  and 
greatly  swollen  this  evening  :  however,  I  am  glad  to  say  that 
he  is  in  much  better  spirits,  so  his  constitutional  condition  is 
decidedly   improving.      I   gave    him   a  hypodermic   dose   of 


202  EXFERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

morphine  and  atropine  at  5  p.:\i.,  and  repeated  this  at 
9  P.M. ;  so  I  am  hoping  for  a  much  easier  night.  These 
medicines  are  all  contained  in  Burroughs  and  Welcome's 
tabloids,  which  I  have  found  extremely  satisfactory ;  as  they 
are  very  soluble,  while  they  occupy  very  little  sjDace,  and  have 
never  lost  their  strength.  I  have  never  used  any  therapeutic 
preparations  at  all  so  convenient  or  so  reliable.  The  medical 
departments  of  the  services  should  abandon  the  present  clumsy 
and  inconvenient  system  of  carrying  fluids,  pills,  powders,  &c., 
and  adopt  this  mode  of  administering  medicines  :  as  it  is  safer, 
the  dose  is  more  reliable,  and  transport  so  much  easier — they 
occupy  less  than  quarter  the  space  and  weight ;  also  one  medical 
officer  could  attend  to  four  times  the  number  of  patients. 

Feb.  23. — Jephson  sat  up  with  my  patient  last  night.  He 
slejDt  but  two  hours;  however,  he  had  dozed  occasionally 
during  the  day.  The  pain  in  the  stomach  has  greatly  dimi- 
nished ;  so  I  ventured  to  give  him  a  warm  bath.  He  always 
has  bismuth  and  soda  in  his  milk,  which  he  sucks  through  the 
india-rubber  tube  of  my  pocket  filter,  as  he  is  still  quite 
unable  to  sit  up — or  even  turn  round  in  his  bed — without 
assistance. 

Feb.  24. — I  sat  up  with  my  patient  last  night.  At  9  fm. 
he  had  a  very  severe  attack  of  spasmodic  cough,  which 
•caused  him  great  distress  ;  there  was  considerable  ditficulty  in 
breathing,  and  in  getting  up  the  phlegm.  I  gave  him  inhalations 
■of  eucalyptin  and  tne  warm  steam  from  boiling  water,  a  supply 
of  which  I  kept  near  his  bed,  so  as  to  saturate  the  atmosphere 
he  breathed.  I  also  applied  hot  turpentine  stupes  over  his 
•chest.  After  tliis  treatment  he  perspired  profusely,  the  cough 
.subsided,  and  he  slept  fairly  well. 

He  coughed  a  good  deal  in  the  course  of  the  day,  so  I  took 
all  the  precautions  I  possibly  could  to  avoid  draughts,  by 
.stopping  up  all  chinks  in  the  wall.  He  is  extremely  anxious 
to  go  out,  and  see  how  the  work  is  progressing  around  the  Fort ; 
but  I  cannot,  of  course,  consent  to  this ;  as  his  life  is  still, 
.seriously,  in  great  danger.  His  mind  has  wandered  a  great 
•deal  during  the  course  of  his  illness,  and  he  is  very  difficult 
indeed  to  control ;  as  he  is  very  prone,  under  all  circumstances, 
to  do  what  he  likes,  regardless  of  advice,  friendly  or  otherwise. 
He  is  quite  delirious  this  evening. 

I  gave  him  another  inhalation  of  eucaly[)tin  this  afternoon. 


.1888.]      FROM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       203 

There  is  now  very  little  pain  over  the  gastric  region  ;  and  I 
hope  that  the  improvement  will  continue,  if  he  will  only  be 
•careful,  and  do  as  I  wish  him,  I  gave  him  a  little  arrow-root 
and  water,  as  his  only  nourishment. 

Feb.  25. — Jephson  sat  up  with  Mr.  Stanley  last  night.  The 
fever  is  diminishing,  and  the  cough  and  bronchial  catarrh  are  a 
good  deal  relieved.  The  arm  is  still  very  painful,  but  as  no  pus 
has  formed,  I  am  now  painting  it  with  tincture  of  iodine.  The 
tongue  is  becoming  cleaner,  although  very  slowly.  He  is  able 
to  take  milk  and  arrowroot  to-day  ;  and  with  some  little  relish. 
The  latter  commodity  is  my  own  private  property,  as  the  small 
:store  of  tins  supplied  to  the  Expedition  have  been  exhausted. 
He  slept  but  two  hours  last  night.  He  insisted  on  being- 
carried  round  the  Fort  to-day,  to  see  the  state  of  the  earth- 
works ;  this,  although  he  Avas  actually  in  so  exhausted  a  con- 
dition that  he  could  not  raise  himself  from  the  bed.  He  was 
•carried  by  his  Zanzibaris  on  a  door  ;  in  the  horizontal  position, 
and  as  comfortable  as  I  could  manage  to  make  him  under  the 
•circumstances.  As  he  was  borne  along,  the  men  ceased  work- 
ing, greeted  him  with  their  best  salaams,  and  everywhere 
expressed  hearty  congratulations  on  his  recovery,  and  their 
■delight  on  seeing  him  again.  I  should  mention  that  during 
Ills  confinement  to  bed,  both  the  head-men  and  their  subordi- 
nates were  continually  pressing  for  interviews  with  him,  so  as 
to  have  an  opportunity  of  expressing  their  sympathy  in  his 
illness.  I  was,  of  course,  obliged  to  keep  them  away,  for  he 
•was  in  such  a  condition  during  a.  great  part  of  the  time,  that 
a  single  interview  would,  almost  to  a  certainty,  have  decided 
Ihe  fatal  issue. 

Feb.  26. — I  sat  up  last  night  with  Mr.  Stanley  ;  he  slept 
fairly  well,  but  suffered  a  good  deal  from  the  pain  in  his  arm. 
He  felt  stronger  this  morning,  and  sat  outside  for  a  little ; 
.supported  in  an  arm-chair.  This  change  to  the  open  air — from 
the  cramped  space  and  limited  field  of  view  obtainable  within 
the  hut — had  a  good  effect,  and  raised  his  spirits. 

Feb.  27. — He  was  greatly  better  last  night,  so  that  only  his 
•servants  sat  up  with  him.  The  pain  and  tenderness  over  the 
stomach  and  liver  have  nearly  quite  gone ;  but  his  arm  is  very 
painful.     He  had  a  little  beef-tea  and  milk  to-day. 

Feb.  28. — Only  the  servant  sat  up  with  Mr.  Stanley  last 
might.     In  consequence  of  the  formation  of  an  abscess  in  his 


204  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888_ 

axilla,  there  is  necessarily  a  great  deal  of  tension  and  throbbing^ 
accompanied  by  the  usual  constitutional  disturbance  ;  but  his 
other  symptoms  are  improving  very  fairly. 

Feb,  29. — I  sat  up  last  night,  as  he  is  so  restless.  He  became 
so  uneasy  at  1  a.m.,  that  he  would  not  stay  in  bed ;  and  w& 
were  obliged  to  place  him  in  his  chair,  where  he  remained  till 
6.30  A.M.,  after  which  he  lay  down  again. 

He  now  goes  out  every  day,  as  his  gastritis  has  subsided ;. 
however,  he  is  not  yet  out  of  danger :  his  tongue  is  still 
thickly  coated  with  a  white  fur.  He  is  able  to  walk  a  few  yards 
with  a  little  support. 

Mar.  1. — I  sat  up  with  Mr.  Stanley  last  night.  He  slept 
fairly  Avell,  and  was  able  to  eat  some  sago  this  morning.  He- 
took  some  chicken-broth  during  the  day,  and,  altogether,  is- 
doing  well.     His  temperature  is  now  normal. 

Mar.  2. — I  gave  him  15  grains  of  quinine  by  enema  to-day,, 
as  a  prophylactic  against  the  fever.  I  sat  up  with  him  last 
night,  the  third  night  in  succession.  Like  most  invalids  he 
is  very  irritable. 

Mar.  3. — My  patient  slept  badly  last  night.  He  had  some- 
arrowroot  (made  with  milk)  during  the  night,  and  took  chicken- 
broth  to-day.  His  tongue  is  very  red  and  beef-steaky  at  the 
edges  ;  the  dorsum — on  either  side  of  the  septum — is  covered 
with  a  white  fur ;  so  that  his  condition  is  still  far  from  satis- 
factory, although  he  is  getting  a  good  deal  stronger. 

Ten  men  are  sent  out  every  day,  as  ruga-ruga,  to  hunt  off  the 
natives,  who  hover  around  the  fort  with  mischievous  intentions. 

Mar.  4. — My  patient  now  takes  sago,  milk,  and  chicken-tea 
by  turns.  Last  night  seven  of  the  Zanzibaris,  who  had  been 
left  at  the  Manyuema  camp  at  Ipoto,  arrived  here  with  only 
one  rifle  among  them — this  belonged  to  a  man  named 
Pyrangani.  The  adventure  was  a  very  plucky  one  on  their 
j)art,  as  it  represents  eight  days'  good  marching.  The  poor 
creatures  are  awfully  thin  and  worn.  They  told  us  that  twb- 
men  had  died  at  the  Manyuema  camp  since  I  left,  three  others- 
remain  there,  who  are  still  unable  to  march. 

Mar.  5. — Mr.  Stanley  has  had  a  severe  attack  of  fever  to- 
day ;  his  temperature  is  106^.  It  has,  of  course,  worried  and 
weakened  him.     His  tongue  is  cleaning  slowly. 

Mar.  G. — Mr.  Stanley  has  high  fever  to-day.  At  2  p.m.  I 
gave  him  25  grs.  of  quinine. 


i888.]      FROM.  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       205 

Rain  fell  in  torrents  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day.  I 
-opened  the  axillary  abscess,  having  first  given  a  hypodermic 
injection  of  cocaine  as  a  local  anaesthetic.  He  is  suffering  from 
iiectic  this  evening. 

Jephsou  is  now  down  with  intermittent  fever ;  Nelson  is 
still  very  seedy,  so  that  I  am  the  only  white  man  who  remains 
■^'  fit." 

Mar.  7. — Mr.  Stanley's  arm  is  less  painful  this  morning. 

Mae.  8. — I  still  keep  the  arm  regularly  poulticed,  etc.  My 
dressings  and  drugs  are  all  running  short :  another  unpleasant 
contingency  to  deal  with.  But  I  am  making  extensive  use  of 
my  own  castor-oil,  which  I  give  freely  to  the  invalids. 

Nelson  is  now  doing  pretty  well ;  he  suffers  a  great  deal  from 
the  itching  which  is  one  of  our  plagues,  and  has  taken  to 
trying  a  medicine  used  by  the  natives  as  a  palliative  for  this 
symptom,  and  which  is  prepared  from  the  stalk  of  the 
plantain. 

Mar.  9. — Mr.  Stanley  had  a  good  night  till  5  a.m.,  up  to 
which  time  he  slept  soundly.  He  was  then  aroused  by  the 
pain  of  his  arm ;  a  fresh  hot  poultice  was  then  applied,  and 
.gave  a  great  deal  of  relief.  He  is  entering  on  another  course 
of  the  wretched  "  African  fever."  The  tongue  is  still  coated 
with  a  thick  white  fur ;  he  sat  in  the  shade  for  a  good  while 
to-day  in  his  big  easy-chair. 

Mar.  10. — He  is  now  able  to  w^alk  about  a  little,  so 
lie  was  out  to-day  for  some  time.  He  also  ate  some  roast 
■chicken. 

Mar.  11. — My  patient  is  now  rapidly  improving.  He  feels 
much  stronger,  and  is  constantly  asking  for  food.  Two  of 
'XDur  men  have  been  killed  by  the  natives,  Kamwaiya  and 
Saramini ;    another,  Nuni  Pembi,  was  wounded  in  the  leg. 

Mar.  12. — Mr.  Stanley  is  improving  :  he  continues  to  eat 
'chicken  with  a  good  appetite.  I  had  a  severe  attack  of  fever  last 
night,  which  was  brought  on  by  a  wetting.  I  have  commenced 
to  construct  an  ambulance  or  landau  for  Mr.  Stanley's  use,  in 
which  he  is  to  be  carried.  It  consists  of  portions  of  cow- 
'hides  sewn  together  by  thongs ;  and  will  be  suspended  from 
a  bamboo  pole,  carried  by  two  of  the  Zanzibaris.  The  frame  is 
■also  to  be  made  of  bamboo-cane ;  and  the  conveyance  weighs 
.about  25  lbs. 

Mar.  13. — Very  heavy  rain  to-day :  which  caused  complete 


206  EXPEBIENCE8  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.         [1888.. 

suspension  of  work  for  the  time.  Stairs  will  be  due  on  the 
18th  inst.,  so  I  have  been  thinking  a  good  deal  of  him  to-day. 

Mae.  14. — Mr.  Stanley  took  a  dessertspoonful  of  quinine  and 
orange  wine.  He  has  a  good  appetite  and  is  improving ;  but 
is  still  weakly,  from  the  effects  of  his  terribly  severe  illness. 
I  finished  his  ambulance  conveyance  to-day,  in  which  he  can 
lie  down  or  sit  up  as  he  pleases  ;  and  in  which  he  will  also  be 
effectively  sliaded — from  sunshine  and  rain — by  a  complete  roof. 
He  took  some  warm  food  to-day ;  for  the  first  time  for  thirty 
days. 

Mar.  15. — Mr.  Stanley  still  improves.  He  took  some  more 
quinine  to-day. 

Mar.  16. — The  affected  arm  is  healing  rapidly,  so  I  have 
left  off  poulticing,  and  now  apply  wadding.  He  is  now  able  to 
put  it  through  a  sling  for  the  first  time. 

The  following  is  a  complete  list  of  the  nutritive  medical 
comforts  which  were  carried  for  us  six  white  men  when  leaving 
Yambuya : 

No.  of  Box.  Cimtents. 

60     .          .  Brandj%  1  dozen. 

27     .          .  Liebig,  2  pots;  arrowruot,  tiq^ioca,  sago,  1  tin  each, 

23      .          .  ].iebig,  2  jiots;  Siigo,  1  tin. 

30     .          .  Liebig,  4  pots. 

14     .          .  Tapioca,  2  tins. 

2      .          .  Liebig,  6  pots  ;  tapioca,  1  tin  ;  sago,  1  tin. 

2     .          .  Sago,  1  tin. 

Total :  Brandy,  1  dozen ;  Liebig,  14  pots ;  arrowroot,  1  tin :  tapioca,. 
4  tins  ;  sago,  4  tins. 

Mar.  17. — I  filled  the  magazine  with  ammunition ;  and,  as- 
many  boxes  were  nearly  empty,  I  filled  them,  leaving  three 
empty  boxes  which  would  only  be  a  useless  incumbrance  in 
marching. 

Mar.  18. — Stairs  was  due  yesterday,  but  did  not  turn  up. 

Mar.  19-22. — Still  no  sign  of  Stairs.  A  general  parade  was 
held  (full  strength)  :  141  men  and  seven  Muniaparas  (chiefs)/ 
Forty-one  men,  in  charge  of  one  white  officer,  are  to  remain  here 
to  hold  the  fort — with  twenty-six  rifles — during  the  absence  of 
the  main  body.  Mr.  Stanley — with  Nelson,  Jephson  and  myself 
— had  some  target  practice  yesterday  (18th). 

On  the  19th  and  20th,  Mr.  Stanley  spent  a  great  part  of  each 
day  at  the  river,  with  the  workmen.  Tlie  weather  is  very  bad ; 
and    he    was    drenched    with   a   heavy   shower   of  rain.       I 


1888.]      FROM,  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYAXZA.       207 

■wanted  him  to  go  in,  and  that  I  would  look  after  the  work,  as 
he  might  very  probably  bring  on  a  return  of  his  illness  by  this 
exposure  :  but  he  refused. 

I  tried  an  Indian  remedy  for  fever  ;  dose,  40  to  100  drops.  I 
cannot  say  that  I  observed  any  very  pronounced  results  from  it. 

Mak.  23. — Good  Friday.  This  is  the  last  day  of  our  public 
works  at  Fort  Bodo,  and  the  men  commence  to-morrow  to 
prepare  for  their  departure  to  tlie  lake  (Albert  Nyanza).  The 
men  have  been  pretty  well  exercised  for  a  good  while  in  road- 
making,  although  it  is  hard  to  see  the  future  utility  of  this 
piece  of  engineering.  However,  the  work  did  them  good ;  it 
was  capital  exercise ;  and,  certainly,  often  kept  them  out  of 
mischief. 

Mar.  24-30.—.  ... 

Mar.  31. — All  the  men  fell  in  to-day,  and  each  man  had  his 
load  told  off.  Jephson  and  myself  were  obliged  to  take  our 
tents,  minus  the  poles;  as  we  are  so  short  of  carriers.  We 
hope  to  provide  for  nocturnal  comfort  by  cutting  poles  in  the 
forest  every  evening,  when  we  halt  for  the  night. 

April  1. — Eeady  to  start  for  the  Lake  to-morrow. 

April  2.- — Left  Fort  Bodo  this  morning  en  route  for  the 
Albert  Nyanza.  Our  force  numbers  122,  including  boys. 
Each  man  has  got  ten  rounds  of  ammunition.  Jephson  and 
myself  accompany  Mr.  Stanley,  each  in  charge  of  one  company. 
Nelson  remains  in  command  of  the  fort,  with  twenty-seven 
rifles.  We  started  at  11  a.m.;  we  were  prevented  from  moving 
sooner  by  the  heavy  rain  which  fell  all  morning.  We  marched 
till  4.30  P.M.,  when  we  halted  in  the  forest,  having  gone  over  a 
distance  of  eight  miles.  When  we  had  stopped,  Mr.  Stanley 
sent  for  me  to  go  and  see  him  in  his  tent ;  he  was  complaining 
of  pain  in  his  knee,  and  also  said  that  he  anticipated  an  attack 
of  fever ;  the  pain  was  either  due  to  acute  rheumatism  or  a 
movable  cartilage  in  the  joint. 

Most  of  the  men  left  at  the  fort  with  Nelson  were  invalids  : 
suffering  from  large  ulcers,  and  the  general  effects  of  starvation. 
Hardly  one  of  them  weighs  over  100  lbs.  at  present.  The 
dreadful  debility — which  is  chiefly  the  cause  of  the  rapid 
spreading  of  these  devouring  ulcers,  and,  when  the  latter 
have  spread  to  a  certain  extent,  becomes  a  necessary  result 
of  their  presence — is  one  of  the  most  dreadful  enemies 
with   which   we    have    had    to    contend    during    our   sojourn 


208  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

iu  the  African  forest.  When  the  resistance  of  the  tissues 
has  been  reduced  to  a  certain  (low)  level,  every  slight  abrasion 
of  the  skin  refuses  to  heal — especially  if  on  the  legs — 
and  becomes  the  centre  of  a  spreading  sore.  The  very 
worst  among  them  have  been  distinctly  traceable  to  the  irrita- 
tion produced  by  the  bites  of  flies,  which  had  flown  from  the 
surface  of  an  ulcer  whose  secretions  they  had  been  imbibing 
and  conveyed  the  infectious  discharge  to  the  previously  healthy 
skin  of  another  individual,  or  to  another  part  of  that  of  the 
same  person.  A  bulla  is  sometimes  seen  to  form  on  the 
infected  spot,  which — in  the  vast  majority  of  the  worst  cases 
— is  below  the  knee ;  this  is  filled  with  a  dark-red  serous 
fluid,  and  soon  breaks,  leaving  a  ragged  sloughy  surface 
exposed.  From  this  starting-point,  the  sloughing  process,  in 
the  cases  of  those  individuals  who  have  previously  been  greatly 
reduced  by  starvation,  spreads  witli  appalling  rapidity  ;  and 
destroys  the  various  tissues  in  the  unsparing  way  that  hospital 
gangrene  is  known  to  do.  The  edges  are  livid  in  colour, 
.and  horribly  ragged  in  outline  and  texture  ;  the  tissues  beyond 
them  are  infiltrated,  and  "  boggy  "  to  the  touch.  The  sub- 
cutaneous and  muscular  tissues  jdeld  most  readily  ;  so  that,  after 
a  time,  shreds  of  tendon  and  edges  of  aponeurotic  sheaths  are 
seen  lying  across  the  floor  and  sides  of  the  ulcer,  and  sometimes 
trail  the  ground  ;  the  nerves  and  vessels  are  treated  with  greater 
ffespect  for  some  time,  so  that  they  are  completely  dissected 
out,  and  may  be  identified  in  their  proper  anatomical  positions  ; 
but  bye-and-bye  they,  in  their  turn,  also  yield.  The  ensheathing 
membrane  of  the  bones  is  afterwards  laid  bare,  and  shares  in 
the  necrobiotic  change ;  and,  as  an  inevitable  result,  the 
superficial  layers  of  osseous  tissue  perish,  and  undergo  exfolia- 
tion. The  edges  of  the  ulcer  always  become  irregularly 
undermined  as  the  growth  of  the  sore  proceeds  ;  it  is  under 
cover  of  the  shade  so  formed  that  the  rats  of  Ipoto  and  of  Fort 
Bodo  often  sought  a  tenqiorary  refuge.  The  loss  of  tactile 
sensibility  over  the  diseased  surface  favoured  these  horrible 
gymnastics  of  the  rodents  of  the  forest.  The  loss  of  vascularity 
occasioned  by  the  coagulation  of  the  blood  in  the  surrounding 
vessels,  gave  the  whole  of  the  eroded  surface  an  ashen-grey 
appearance,  as  if  all  colouring  matter  had  been  removed  from 
the  tissues  by  a  very  crude  process  of  bleaching.  But  high 
above  all  the  signs  and  symptoms  of  the  ulcer  of  the  E.P.R. 


1888.]      FROM  FORT  BOD 0  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       209 

Expedition,  towers  that  characteristic  smell  which  is  invariably- 
present — not  only  to  the  sufferers  and  their  medical  attendant, 
but  to  every  individual  member  of  our  force,  and  to  every  white 
officer,  whether  in  camp  or  on  the  march— one,  the  memory  of 
which  will,  I  think,  always  remain  with  me  on  this  side  of 
eternity ! 

Apeil  3. — I  gave  Mr.  Stanley  20  grains  of  quinine  this 
morning.  His  knee  is  giving  him  a  good  deal  of  pain, 
.although  he  is  carried  all  the  time.  The  pain  is  situated  at 
Ahe  inner  aspect  of  the  joint,  over  the  internal  lateral  ligament 
— the  usual  site  of  synovial  pain — and  is,  I  have  no  doubt, 
rheumatic  in  its  nature ;  the  attack  being  in  all  probability 
precipitated  by  the  effects  of  exhaustion,  combined  with 
mental  worry  and  anxiety.  We  marched  for  five  miles  to-day. 
We  have  89  loads  with  us,  all  told. 

April  4. — We  marched  five  miles  to-day.  Jephson  had 
very  high  fever. 

April  5. — There  was  heavy  rain  this  morning.  We  marched 
seven  miles  to-day.  Mbaruku,  our  kilongosi  (guide),  fired 
two  shots  at  a  native — who  is  said  to  have  aimed  several  arrows 
At  him,  and  wounded  him  with  one  ;  we  suspect,  however,  that 
our  ambitious  guide  merely  scratched  himself  for  the  sake  of 
the  notoriety  and  sympathy  which  he  calculated  that  it 
woula  bring  him.  So  absorbing  is  the  thirst  for  fame  even 
in  the  heart  of  Africa,  and  under  the  most  discouraging 
circumstances ! 

We  had  some  gymnastics— in  the  way  of  tree-climbing — this 
morning.  This  was  indulged  in  for  the  sake  of  the  view,  as 
we  could  not  see  more  than  a  few  yards  in  any  direction  when 
on  the  ground.  Some  of  us  thought  that  we  had  sighted 
.a  lake  in  the  forest  from  the  top  of  a  high  tree. 

April  6. — We  started  early,  and  halted  for  the  day  at  about 
10.30  A.M.  Mr.  Stanley  uses  "  Jacob's  Oil "  for  his  knee,  and 
says  that  he  finds  it  useful.  We  reached  a  banana  plantation, 
where  we  found  good  bananas ;  there  were  many  vessels  dis- 
covered, which  were  filled  with  pombe  (banana  wine) ;  this  was 
at  the  base  of  "  Mount  Pisgah,"  from  which  Stanley  first  saw  the 
■"  Promised  Land." 

April  7-9. — Creeping  along. 

April  10.— We  reached  the  Ituri  Eiver.  The  natives 
assumed  a  hostile  attitude,  and  made  threatening  movements 

r 


210  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

from  the  opposite  bank,  where  they  thought  they  were  safe 
from  us — the  river  lying  between.  Some  shots  were  tired  to 
clear  them  away.  Jej)hson  then  quickly  screwed  together  the 
sections  of  the  boat,  and  placed  her  in  the  water  ;  when  I  was 
sent  with  a  party  to  hold  the  opposite  bank,  while  the  column 
was  being  ferried  across.  The  natives  disappeared  into  the 
woods  as  we  approached  the  bank,  making,  as  they  went  off,  a 
furious  row,  not  unlike  that  of  a  pack  of  hounds  in  full  cry. 
In  the  huts  which  they  had  temporarily  erected,  we  found 
some  bark-cloth,  some  iron  bangles,  bracelets  made  with  human 
teeth  strung  together,  &c.  Also  about  10  lbs.  of  salt,  which 
was  very  welcome  indeed,  as  we  finished  ours  some  months 
ago. 

April  11. — We  marched  to  the  open  plain.  Our  chief  sent 
me  ahead  of  the  column,  to  find  the  nearest  point  of  emergence 
from  the  forest ;  which  I  did — at  the  end  of  a  march  of  an  hour 
and  a  half:  thus  ending  my  own  forest  existence  of  nearly 
twelve  months.  It  did  feel  as  a  deliverance  :  I  fancied  that  I 
could  realise  the  feelings  of  Bonnivard  when,  after  his  six  years 
of  dungeon  life  in  the  Castle  of  Chillon,  he  was  again  able  in 
freedom  to  look  over  his  beautiful  and  beloved  Lake  of  Geneva. 
I  thought  of  Christian  as  his  burden  rolled  down  from  his 
shoulders  at  the  foot  of  the  Cross ;  I  re-echoed  the  enthusiasm 
of  our  leader,  and  the  sentiment  which  dictated  the  baptism  of 
his  Pisgah  ;  and — gravitating  again  to  a  more  earthly  mood — ■ 
I  thought,  as  I  had  pretty  often  thought  during  our  forest  life, 
of  that  celebrated  monarch  Nebuchadnezzar,  and  fancied  that 
I  could  picture  the  train  of  his  ideas  on  being  restored  to  shelter 
and  luxury,  from  his  prolonged  banishment  to  exposure  and 
grazing.  Last  night  Jephson  and  I  gormandised  on  a  real 
aldermanic  dinner — of  goat,  chicken,  and  beans.  We  smoked 
our  native  tobacco,  in  order  to  complete  our  happiness ;  but 
Ave  soon  grew  pale,  and  became  very  faint  and  sick,  the  dose 
was  stronger  than  we  had  calculated  it  to  be;  this  pure  native 
growth  being  much  more  potent  than  that  which  we  have 
recently  been  accustomed  to. 

April  12. — We  marched  about  five  miles,  and  halted  in  a 
village,  in  which  the  natives  are  very  wild  and  warlike. 
They  surrounded  us  on  all  sides  ;  and  showered  their  arrows 
in  amongst  us,  in  every  possible  direction.  Fetteh,  our  only 
interpreter,  was  severely  wounded   by  an   iron  arrow,  which 


1888.]      FROM.  FOBT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBERT  NYANZA.       211 

passed  obliquely  tliroiigli  the  lower  end  of  the  sternum,  and 
evidently  penetrated  his  stomach,  as  he  vomited  up  great 
quantities  of  blood,  and  sank  into  a  state  of  extreme  collapse. 
Arrows  flew  into  the  camp  from  every  side,  so  that  parties  had 
to  be  formed,  and  sent  out  to  clear  off  the  enemy.  Sentries 
were  posted  high  up  in  the  trees;,  on  platforms  of  native  manu- 
facture, which  had  been  placed  in  these  positions  for  the 
advantage  of  the  "  look-out "  which  they  afforded.  All  our 
able-bodied  men  were  sent  with  billhooks  and  knives,  to  clear 
away  the  tall  grass  and  brushwood  for  a  considerable  distance 
around  the  camp ;  so  as  to  leave  no  lurking-place  for  the 
enemy  (as  we  knew  that  they  are  very  dexterous  in  concealing 
themselves  in  the  tall  grass),  and  so  that  our  rifles  could  pla}'- 
on  them  before  they  rushed  our  position. 

In  order  to  prevent  our  men  from  separating  confusedly  in  the 
decidedly  dangerous  position  they  occupied  here,  Mr.  Stanley 
threatened  them  very  strongly;  nevertheless  they  continued 
running  wildly  about  looting  chickens :  so  he  tired  a  shot  at 
one,  so  as  to  frighten  them,  and  bring  them  to  some  sense  of  their 
disorder.  As  even  this  did  not  appear  to  have  much  effect,  Le 
fired  at  Dick,  wounding  him  slightly  in  the  heel,  but  not  in- 
capacitating him  for  duty.  This  substantial  warning  had 
the  result  of  bringing  the  men  together,  and  quieting  their 
excitement. 

We  then  proceeded  to  construct  a  boma  around  the  camp. 
The  sentries  on  the  "  look-out  "  in  the  trees  had  narrow  escapes 
from  being  hit  by  arrows,  and  they  were  busily  occupied  in 
keeping  off  the  natives  who  prowled  about  in  the  long  grass, 
close  to  our  huts. 

April  13. — I  gave  my  knee  a  very  nasty  sprain  to-day. 
We  vrere  obliged  to  carry  Fetteh  on  the  march,  as  he  is  very 
weak  ;  being  quite  blanched  from  vomiting  of  blood,  and  the 
shock  which  he  has  suffered.  He  is  conveyed  in  Mr.  Stanley's 
ambulance  landau.  I  am  obliged  to  feed  him  by  enemas,  as 
I  cannot  venture  to  put  anything  into  his  wounded  stomach. 

During  the  whole  night,  the  natives  kept  calling  to  one 
another  from  the  tops  of  the  surrounding  hills ;  and  their 
ringing  voices  can  be  heard  for  miles  around.  They  were 
evidently  passing  the  signal  of  alarm  to  one  another — all 
through  the  surrounding  country.  Their  voices  were  terribly 
distinct  in  the  stillness  of  the  night,  and  some  of  them  were 

r  2 


212         .  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.  [1888. 

SO  close  that  we  anticipated  an  attack  on  the  camp.  So  we  got 
some  of  the  men  under  arms,  and  strengthened  the  outposts ; 
but  nothing  happened  to  disturb  us  further;  and,  in  the 
morning  we  found  that  none  of  the  natives  had  come  within  a 
mile  of  our  camp.  I  have  noticed  this  peculiar  transmission  of 
voice  before,  during  the  Nile  Expedition  for  the  relief  of  Gordon. 
The  natives  there  understood  one  another  distinctly  in  shouting 
across  the  broad  expanse  of  the  Nile.  The  practice  of  savage 
life  has  a  great  deal  to  say  to  it,  I  am  sure.  The  atmosphere 
also  favours  the  exercise  of  the  vocal  powers,  but  the  result  is 
undoubted.  They  can  understand  each  other  at  a  distance  at 
least  six  times  as  great  as  that  through  which  Europeans  can  make 
themselves  heard.  The  natives  on  the  Congo  were  also  in  the 
habit  of  communicating  with  each  other  across  the  river,  where 
it  is  over  a  mile  in  width.  In  the  latter  case,  the  effect  was, 
of  course,  helped  out  by  the  well  known  facility  with  which 
sound  waves  are  propagated  over  smooth  water  surfaces ;  but 
even  after  making  liberal  deductions  for  the  influences  fur- 
nished by  air  and  by  water,  a  large  balance  must  still  be 
credited  to  the  wild  and  free  exercise  of  the  vocal  chords  and 
intrinsic  laryngeal  muscles  which  the  cramping  limits  of 
civilized  communities  absolutely  forbid. 

Apeil  14. — We  marched  to  a  high  range  of  hills,  and  halted 
on  the  site  of  a  camp  formerly  occupied  by  Mr.  Stanley.  As 
the  natives  were  collecting  in  an  ominous  manner  on  the 
surrounding  hills,  we  fired  a  few  shots  to  keep  them  off.  We 
occupied  a  good  position  on  the  top  of  a  small  hill.  The  place 
could  easily  be  made  very  safe :  its  only  drawback  being  that 
it  is  rather  far  away  from  the  water.  After  an  hour  or  two 
of  observation,  we  found  that  the  natives  did  not  appear  very 
anxious  to  show  fight ;  so  Ave  sent  out  some  of  our  men  unarmed 
in  order  to  convince  them  that  we  meant  peace  and  goodwill, 
and  to  try  to  get  them  to  make  terms  with  us.  By  this  time 
a  boma  had  been  constructed  about  our  camp. 

After  some  little  time,  the  natives  began  to  come  into  our 
camp,  one  by  one ;  each  carrying  a  few  blades  of  grass  in  his 
hand,  as  a  token  of  peaceful  intentions.  The  first  who  ventured 
in  was  a  typical  Mhuma,  tall,  slender,  and  of  graceful  build, 
with  high  forehead,  thin  lips,  slender  nose,  and  small  ears.  These 
men,  on  coming  in,  crawled  up  in  front  of  Mr.  Stanley,  and 
crouched  down  before  him  in  a  very  submissive  attitude.   They 


1888.]      FBOM  FORT  BODO  TO  THE  ALBEBT  NTANZA.       213 

told  us  that  a  Mzunga  (white  man)  with  two  steamers,  had 
come  down  to  the  south  end  of  the  Albert  Nyanza  ;  where 
Mr.  Stanley  had  been  when  he  made  his  first  visit  to  the  lake, 
in  December  last.  Now  we  have  heard  directly,  for  the  first  time, 
of  Emin  Pasha ;  and  we  at  least  know  that  he  has  been  lately 
alive,  and  not  far  off.  It  is  the  first  substantial  encouragement 
that  has  been  offered  to  us  of  the  ultimate  success  of  our 
tedious  pilgrimage.  They  gave  Emin  Pasha  the  epithet  of 
Malleju,  "  the  bearded  one ;  "  and  gave  glowing  descriptions  of 
the  huge  iron  canoe  in  which  he  travelled  over  the  surface  of 
the  lake,  and  which  vomited  forth  sparks  of  fire,  and  enormous 
volumes  of  dense  smoke.  Their  impressions  seem  to  have  been, 
similar  to  those  which  filled  the  breasts  of  the  West  Indian 
aborigines  on  witnessing  the  arrival  of  Christopher  Columbus 
and  his  followers. 

They  explained  to  us  that  their  first  shyness  and  tendency 
to  hostility  were  due  to  the  fact  that  they  had  taken  us  for  the 
Wara-Sura,  those  terrible  sharpshooters  of  King  Kabba  Rega, 
who  plundered  their  villages  and  farms,  and  devastated  the- 
country  at  periodic  intervals. 

Apeil  15. — We  remained  all  day  in  camp  :  received  visits 
from  Mazamboni  and  his  satellites.  Mazamboni  is  the  chief 
of  all  the  surrounding  neighbourhood.  In  order  to  thoroughly 
seal  our  friendship,  which  had  advanced  without  interruption 
so  far,  we  were  obliged  to  perform  the  rite  of  "  blood  brother- 
hood." Jephson  was  selected  to  be  the  martyr  in  the  good 
cause  of  the  Expedition.  Mazamboni  and  he  sat  on  the 
ground,  facing  each  other,  and  with  their  legs  extended  : 
Jephson's  right  leg  was  then  elevated,  so  as  to  rest  on  Mazam- 
boni's  left ;  Mazamboni's  right  leg  was  steadied  on  top  of 
Jephson's  left.  Marabo,  a  Zanzibari,  who  understands  these 
ceremonies,  then  procured  one  of  my  lancets,  and  made  a  small 
incision  on  the  inner  side  of  Jephson's  left  knee,  and  one  of 
similar  dimensions  on  the  corresponding  side  of  Mazamboni's 
right  knee.  When  the  blood  flowed,  some  salt  was  rubbed  into 
either  wound,  a  few  mysterious  signs  were  made,  Marabo  made 
a  few  appropriate  remarks,  and  the  ceremony  was  concluded  : 
we  were  all  united  in  the  bonds  of  eternal  friendship. 

They  told  us  that  they  had  heard  of  two  white  men  on  the 
lake.  These,  we  conclude,  must  have  been  Casati  and  Emin. 
Mazamboni  sent  us  a  present  of  six  goats  and  one  calf.    Fetteh 


214  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1888. 

was  strong  enough  to-day  to  interpret  a  little  for  us  ;  and  lie 
speaks  the  language  best.  The  natives  seemed  very  much 
afraid  of  our  rifles ;  they  have  been  already  attacked  by  rifle- 
men— when  their  country  was  ravaged,  as  it  has  been  repeatedly, 
by  the  Wara-Sura  (sharp-shooters)  of  Kabba  Eega,  the  King  of 
Unyoro.  They  always  stoop,  or  fall  flat  on  their  faces  on  the 
ground,  when  shot  at.  This  fact  of  itself  made  us  suspect  that 
they  have  had  a  bitter  personal  experience  of  bullet-firing 
before  now.  They  had  been  very  hostile  to  the  advance 
of  the  Expedition  when  Mr.  Stanley  made  his  first  journey  to 
the  Albert  Nyanza,  in  December  last.  The  cause  of  this 
(already  mentioned)  was  now  fully  explained,  and  they  ex- 
pressed their  fullest  contrition  for  the  mistake,  and  their 
intention  to  make  us  the  amende  in  our  future  relationships. 

April   16. — We   marched   about    ten    miles,   escorted    by 
native  guides. 


(     215     ) 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MEETING   WITH   EMIN   PASHA   AT   LAKE    ALBERT. 

Our  uewly-made  friends,  the  Waliuma  and  Bavira  tribes — Emin's  letter  to 
I\Ir,  Stanley — A  scrap  of  "The  Times"  dated  April  27,  1886— Kabba 
Iie'za's  treatment  of  Captain  Casati — Arrival  at  Chief  Kavalli's  residence 
—  Cattle  pestered  by  birds — Comparison  of  the  Wahuma  herdsmen  and  the 
Bavira  hoemen — We  sight  a  snow-cap]5ed  mountain — Plague  of  mos- 
quitoes— Launch  of  the  Advance  on  Lake  Albert — Jephson  embarks  in 
her  and  goes  in  search  of  Emin  Pasha— Abundance  of  game  on  the  Lake 
shores — Weapons  and  musical  instruments  of  the  natives  of  the  plains — ■ 
Industry  and  ingenuity  of  the  Mauyuema — Professional  rain-makers — 
Our  camp  at  Bundi — Emin's  steamers  sighted — -Jephson  and  I  escort 
the  Pasha  to  the  camp^Excitement  of  theZanzibaris — Meeting  between 
Stanley  and  Emin — Dress  and  appearance  of  Emin  and  his  soldiers — 
Numerous  cases  of  entozoa — The  Pasha  doubtful  as  to  leaving  his 
province — He  presents  me  with  some  slippers  and  cotton  cloth — Preva- 
lence of  fever  at  our  new  cam^) — Mabruki  gored  by  a  buffalo — Rumours 
regarding  Kabba  Rega — Daring  kites — Jeplison  to  accompany  Emin  to 
his  province  and  read  the  Khedive's  orders — I  give  a  '  thought-read- 
ing '  entertainment  to  Emin's  people — Mimosa  bush  plantations — The 
-Pasha's  lack  of  autliority  over  his  ofticers  and  men — Nubiambari,  a 
Zanzibar!,  missing — Unsuccessful  attempt  to  find  him,  and  subsequent 
brush  with  the  natives — The  Steamers  Khedive  and  Nyanza — The 
etiology  of  malarial  fever — Further  presents  from  the  Pasha — Stanley 
and  I  start  to  bring  up  the  rear  column  from  Yambuya — Desertion 
of  our  Mahdi  porters — Emin  sends  us  other  carriers — We  camp  at 
Kavalli's — Dancing  in  Africa — We  assist  Mazamboni  in  a  tribal  feud 
— Retreat  of  the  enemy  on  our  approach — The  victory  celebrated  by 
a  war-dance — Food  supplies  from  Mazamboni — Condition  of  Fetteh,  our 
interpreter — A  further  instance  of  African  love  and  devotion — We  ford 
the  Ituri  River — Arrival  at  Fort  Bodo — Sickness  in  the  Fort — The 
last  day  of  the  Rammadan — Preparations  for  the  forest  march  to 
Yambuya. 

April  17. — Two  very  fine-looking  natives  came,  and  bro Light 
us  goats,  and  a  cow,  with  some  chickens.  They  told  us  that 
Emin  Pasha  had  left  a  letter  for  us,  which  is  at  Kavalli's,  one 
day's  march  from  here.  All  day  long  we  received  visits  from 
friendly  natives.  This  is  Mpinga's  country ;  but  the  natives 
half-a-day's  march  ahead  say,  we  are  told,  "  that  they  will 
resist  our  advance,  and  fight  us  to  the  death."  Accordingly, 
as  it  always  has  been,  our  African  progress  seems  destined  to 
prove  an  alternation  of  sunshine  and  shade. 


216  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

Our  newly-made  friends  of  this  district  are  divided,  pro- 
fessionally and  socially,  into  two  great  classes :  the  respective 
followers  of  the  callings  of  Cain  and  Abel — the  keepers  of 
cattle,  and  the  tillers  of  the  ground.  The  former  are  the 
Wahuma,  shepherds  and  herdsmen ;  the  latter  the  Bavira, 
hoemen  (agriculturists).  The  social  assumption  is  altogether 
on  the  side  of  the  former,  who  look  with  proud  contempt  on 
their  compatriots  who  dig  the  soil. 

Apeil  18. — After  a  march  of  about  six  miles,  we  were  met 
by  a  native,  who  brought,  wrapped  up  in  American  cloth,  a 
letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Stanley,  and  signed  Dr.  Emin.  It  told 
that  the  writer  had  heard  of  the  apparition  of  a  white  man  on 
the  south  side  of  the  lake,  and  had  come  down  with  the- 
steamer  to  see  who  it  was  ;  also  asked  us  to  stay  where  we  are,, 
and  that  he  will  come  down  again  when  he  hears  of  us.  The 
letter  was  dated  "  Tunguru,  Lake  Albert,  25.  3.  88."  It  was. 
wrapped  in  a  fragment  of  the  Times,  which  I  have  preserved, 
and  which  contained  a  description  of  the  "  Newmarket "  first 
Spring  meeting  (Tuesday,  April  27th,  1886),  with  the  winning 
of  the  Two  Thousand  Guineas  trial  plate  by  Mr.  Manton's 
"Prinstead,"  ridden  by  F.  Barrett.  What  delight  the  reading- 
of  this  scrap  of  civilized  intelligence  gave  us  !  We  were  all 
in  ecstasies  !     The  trick  is  finished  at  last ! 

Emin  mentioned  that  Captain  Casati  had  been  expelled 
by  Kabba  Bega,  King  of  Unyoro.  His  imperial  majesty  of 
Unyoro  has,  evidently,  so  far  as  we  have  yet  been  able  to  learn,, 
been  making  it  pretty  hot  for  all  his  neighbours,  indiscrimin- 
ately. The  stories  we  are  everywhere  told  of  his  performances- 
makes  us  feel  somewhat  Quixotic;  but  such  feelings  must 
necessarily  be  repressed,  for  any  attempt  on  our  part  to  avenge- 
the  multitudinous  wrongs  of  the  weak  and  the  oppressed  in' 
this  part  of  the  world  would  end  in  even  greater  disaster  than' 
terminated  the  performances  of  the  celebrated  Knight  of  La. 
Mancha. 

April  19. — Wo  arrived  at  the  residence  of  the  chief  Kavalli.. 
This  chief  is  a  fine,  handsome  specimen  of  the  Wahuma  tribe, 
and  possesses  large  herds  of  cattle.  He  presented  us  with  a 
cow  and  a  goat.  The  cattle  in  this  country  are  greatly 
worried  by  a  bird,  of  the  size  of  a  thrush,  which  feeds  on 
insects,  and  is  always  picking  and  scratching  at  the  backs  of 
the  cattle,  and  thereby  producing  sores  which  are  kept  open' 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   217 

by  the  heat  of  the  sun.  When  an  attempt  is  made  to  cha,se  it 
away,  it  will  not  fly  off,  but  coolly  runs  down  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  animal ;  and  thus  plays  hide-and-seek  with  safety. 

The  hereditary  superiority  of  the  Wahuma  herdsmen  has 
stamped  them  with  the  air  of  haughty  superiority  which  they 
always  assume  in  their  relations  with  their  Bavira  neighbours. 
The  former  will  not,  under  any  circumstances,  intermarry  with 
the  latter ;  and  they  treat  these  in  every  way  as  an  inferior 
order  of  beings.  They  will  exchange  their  own  meat  and 
dairy  produce  for  the  vegetables  and  grain  of  the  Bavira ;  but 
they  think  themselves  justified  in  appro j)riating  the  latter 
in  way  of  plunder,  when  pressure  of  circumstances  renders, 
barter  inconvenient.  They  graze  their  cattle  by  roaming  about 
among  the  attractive  pastures  of  the  open  country  ;  but  they  will 
never  take  up  fixed  abodes  in  a  settled  village,  as  do  the  less 
pretentious  Bavira.  The  former  represent  the  mobile  landed 
aristocracy  of  this  local  section  of  African  society  ;  the  latter, 
the  plodding  husbandmen.  The  name  of  the  chief  of  the 
Bavira  is  Mpinga.  He  bears  the  hereditary  title  of  Gavira. 
It  need  hardly  be  added  that  both  Wahuma  and  Bavira  have 
their  various  arbitrary  social  strata,  the  limits  of  which  we  are 
not  very  curious  to  define,  even  if  we  had  plenty  of  spare  time 
at  command  to  do  it. 

Apeil  20. — Jephson  and  myself  were  sent  by  Mr.  Stanley 
this  morning  to  bring  the  boat  and  launch  it  on  the  lake ; 
preparatory  to  sending  Jephson,  accompanied  by  the  boat's 
crew,  to  go  on  a  voyage  of  exploration,  and,  if  possible,  find 
the  Pasha.  We  camped  in  a  village,  where  we  received  three 
goats  as  a  present  from  the  courteous  natives.  On  the  march 
we  distinctly  saw  snow  on  the  top  of  a  huge  mountain  situated 
to  the  south-west  of  our  position.  As  this  w^as  a  curious  and 
unexpected  sight,  we  halted  the  caravan  to  have  a  good  view. 
Some  of  the  Zanzibaris  tried  to  persuade  us  that  the  white 
covering  which  decorated  this  mountain  was  salt ;  but  Jephson 
and  myself  were  quite  satisfied  that  it  was  snow.  We  then 
passed  on,  descending  the  face  of  a  very  steep  hill,  and  entered 
a  village  surrounded  by  tamarind  trees  on  the  plain  below. 
The  natives  were  friendly,  and  we  put  up  there  for  the  night ; 
but  the  plague  of  mosquitoes  was  too  terrible  for  the  language 
of  even  a  poet  to  describe  with  justice.  We  were  obliged  to 
leave  the  huts  in  which  we  had  intended  to  sleep,  as  we  were 


218  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1888. 

simply  being  eaten  and  worried  to  death,  not  only  by  mos- 
quitoes, which  were  the  most  numerous  and  vicious  I  had  ever 
met,  but  also  by  all  sorts  of  other  disagreeable  insects. 
Besides,  the  smell  of  the  huts  was  unbearable  ;  for  the  natives 
keej)  all  their  goats  in  the  huts,  reminding  one  of  the 
brotherly  kindness  with  which  the  Irishman  treats  his  pig. 
So  we  were  obliged  to  betake  ourselves  to  the  open,  where  we 
made  ourselves  large  bonfires,  with  as  much  smoke  as  we  could 
manage  to  manufacture,  for  it  was  the  only  weapon  with  which 
we  could  keep  off  the  mosquitoes.  x\.nd  we  sat  around  these 
fires  till  morning.  We  also  ascertained  that  there  is  a  plant 
growing  in  great  profusion  here,  not  unlike  a  nettle  in  appear- 
ance, and  having  an  odour  somewhat  resembling  that  of  mint, 
which,  when  pulled  and  placed  close  to  one,  has  the  happy 
effect  of  keeping  away  these  pests.  So  we  procured  a  supply 
of  it,  with  which  we  fortified  our  position  ;  and  thus  managed 
to  get  a  little  sleep. 

xiPKiL  21, — At  daybreak  we  struck  camp,  and  marched 
about  five  miles :  when  we  reached  tlie  lake — the  goal  of  our 
somewhat  wearisome  pilgrimage.  This  march  was  over  a 
beautiful  park-like  plain,  covered  with  short  grass,  and  in 
which  the  amount  of  game  was  absolutely  bewildering. 
Buffaloes,  elephants,  antelopes  of  various  sizes,  &c.,  &c.,  were 
seen  everywhere.  Jephson  screwed  the  sections  of  the  boat 
together,  and  launched  her.  While  this  was  being  done,  a 
few  of  the  men,  who  had  been  posted  as  sentries  to  guard 
against  possible  surprise,  shot  a  couple  of  antelope :  these 
gave  us  a  good  meal,  and  provided  Jephson  and  his  crew 
with  a  supply  of  provisions  for  a  couple  of  days  at  least.  We 
then  shoved  off  the  boat  from  land,  with  fifteen  persons  on 
board  ;  and  gave  them  a  hearty  parting  cheer  as  they  moved 
off  to  find  the  missing  Pasha. 

I  had  a  few  shots  at  crocodiles ;  the  lake  appears  to  be  alive 
with  these  brutes.  I  tlien  marched  back  to  the  village  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill,  taking  down  two  antelopes  on  my  way. 
Among  the  bewildering  varieties  of  game  here  I  noticed  a 
great  quantity  of  guinea-fowl. 

The  men  have  gorged  to  such  an  excess  to-day,  that  they 
are  absolutely  incapacitated  from  further  work.  At  this  camp 
there  are  many  large  tamarind  trees,  under  the  shade  of  which 
the  men  have  made  their  huts.     The  tamarinds,  when  steeped 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASIIA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   219 

iu  water,  make  a  refreshing  acid  drink.  Several  men  climbed 
up  amongst  the  high  branches  and  foliage,  and  found  a  numljer 
of  shields  made  from  hippo  and  rhinoceros  hide,  which  will  be 
most  useful,  not  only  as  shields  to  protect  our  men,  but  also 
to  make  sandals  and  soles  for  boots. 

April  22. — I  was  almost  worried  to  death  last  night  by 
mosquitoes,  and  all  sorts  of  abominable  vermin.  After  a  restless 
and  unrefreshing  night,  I  started  at  5.30  a.m.,  and  arrived 
with  all  my  men  at  Kavalli's  headquarters  about  noon.  I 
then  interviewed  Mr.  Stanley,  and  reported  Jephson's  departure. 

The  natives  of  the  plains  generally  use  iron  arrow-heads, 
barbed,  and  borne  on  cane  or  reed  shafts,  of  about  a  yard  in 
length.  The  shaft  is  furnished  with  a  small  notch  at  the  end, 
with  which  it  catches  on  the  bowstring.  The  iron  head  is  let 
into  the  hollow  of  the  cane  shaft ;  this  feature  of  the  structure 
of  the  arrow  presents  a  marked  contrast  to  that  used  by  the 
natives  of  the  forest,  in  which  the  arrow-shaft  is  let  into  the 
hollow  of  the  iron  head.  The  bows  used  on  the  plain  are 
from  a  yard  and  a  half  to  two  yards  in  length,  and  slightly 
flattened  in  cross  section ;  those  of  the  forest  are  circular  in 
section,  and  taper  somewhat  from  the  middle  to  either  end. 
The  string  used  in  the  forest  is  made  from  rattan  cane ;  the 
strir-g  used  on  the  plain  is  a  cord,  made  usually  of  twisted 
grass  fibre,  but  sometimes  of  gut.  The  natives  of  the  plain 
use  tall  shields,  carefully  constructed,  and  with  considerable 
skill,  from  well-plaited  grasses  of  different  colours  ;  also  small 
shields  made  of  dry  hippo  hide  or  rhinoceros  hide,  and  formed 
so  as  to  protect  the  front,  back  and  lateral  aspects  of  the  chest 
and  abdomen,  like  a  lifeguardsman's  cuirass.  It  can  be 
laced  up  the  back,  and  is  suspended  from  above  by  shoulder- 
straps.  We  cut  up  a  number  of  specimens  of  this  latter  variety 
of  shield,  to  make  boots  for  ourselves  and  sandals  for  our  men. 

A  great  variety  of  musical  instruments  is  also  found  among 
these  peoples ;  they  are  mostly  stringed,  and  usually  approxi- 
mate in  design  to  the  harp,  the  banjo,  or  the  zither.  The 
strings  are  made  from  gut.  Whenever  an  animal  dies,  there 
is  a  great  demand  among  the  Zanzibaris  for  strips  of  the 
aponeurosis  which  covers  the  muscles  of  the  loins  (lumbar 
aponeuiosis).  This  they  cut  into  longitudinal  bands,  narrow 
enough,  when  dried,  to  use  as  thread ;  and  with  it  they  stitch 
the   rents   in   their   garments,   &c.      They   employ   fibres   of 


220  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

grasses  for  the  same  purpose ;  and  also  use  the  skeleton-fibres 
of  the  leaf  of  a  peculiar  palm,  which  they  carefully  tease  out, 
and  then  twist  up  into  thread.  Their  needle  is  manufactured 
from  rattan  cane ;  and  is  furnished  with  a  hole  near  one  end,  to 
represent  an  eye.  The  Manyuema  are  exceedingly  clever  in 
making  very  durable  materials  from  grasses.  Their  grass 
cloth  is  very  thin,  and  beautifully  woven ;  they  make  coats, 
and,  indeed,  all  sorts  of  articles  of  apparel,  from  it.  I  had  not 
an  opportunity  of  examining  the  processes  of  its  construction  ; 
my  sickness  and  starvation  during  the  residence  at  the  Ipoto- 
camp  would,  in  themselves,  have  been  nearly  enough  to 
prevent  any  investigations  of  this  kind,  and  even  to  blunt  all 
interest  which  I  might  otherwise  have  taken  in  them.  But, 
apart  from  this  obstruction,  and  our  want  of  knowledge  of 
their  language,  our  loathing  for  the  wretches  who  held  us  in 
custody  there,  and  our  fear  of  their  treachery,  prevented 
Nelson  and  myself  from  holding  any  unnecessary  communica- 
tion of  this  kind  with  them.  Accordingly,  even  when  we 
were  on  our  legs,  any  inquiries  which  we  conducted  re- 
garding the  social  and  industrial  habits  of  our  Manyuema 
hosts  were  usually  of  the  most  limited  description,  and  our 
information  was,  practically,  always  obtained  at  second  hand. 
They  evidently  possessed  a  certain  amount  of  ingenuity  and 
industry  ;  but  their  objectionable  qualities  effectually  over- 
shadowed all  others.  Indeed  the  detestable  features  of  the 
men  are  daily  growing  upon  me  still,  as  I  see  more  and  more 
of  the  other  African  tribes.  The  ladies  were  not  quite  so 
objectionable. 

I  reported  to  Mr.  Stanley  that  I  had  seen  a  snow-clad 
mountain.  He  was  a  good  deal  interested.  [He  saw  this 
mountain-range  afterwards,  and  at  once  named  it  the  "  Moun- 
tains of  the  Moon."] 

Apkil  23. — I  walked  to-day  to  the  top  of  a  ridge  of  hills, 
which  are  situated  between  our  camp  and  the  lake  (to  the 
eastward).  Here  I  found  small  forests  of  tree  ferns,  the  tallest 
about  fifteen  feet.  A  wild  rocky  country  stretched  out  to  the 
north.  This  is  inhabited  by  the  Balogga  tribe,  who  are  always- 
on  hostile  terms  with  the  Wuhuma  inhabitants  of  the  plains. 
A  native  told  Mr.  Stanley  that  the  Muta  Nzigo  Lake  (Albert 
Nyanza)  has  one  river,  called  the  Seniliki,  entering  the  most 
southern  extremity.     I  had  a  severe  attack  of  fever  last  night. 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   221 

One  of  the  natives  came  up  to  IMr.  Stanley  and  myself  to-day, 
as  we  were  standing  together  ;  and  requested  Mr.  Stanley  that 
lie  would  give  him  some  rain  for  his  crops,  as  there  has  been 
too  much  dry  weather  lately.  The  inhabitants  of  the  districts 
neighbouring  the  Nyanza  appear  to  have  great  faith  in  the 
rain-giving  powers  of  the  more  gifted  members  of  the  human 
family.  And  as  so  many  of  their  worldly  possessions,  whether 
articles  of  necessity  or  of  luxury,  depend  so  largely  on  a  fair 
supply  of  the  moisture  descending  from  above,  a  professional 
rain-maker  is  a  person  possessing  vast  social  importance — 
somewhat  similar  in  kind  to  that  of  the  nganga  (charm 
doctor)  of  the  Lower  Congo,  even  if  not  quite  so  high  in 
degree.  [We  afterwards  ascertained  that  among  the  Bari 
tribe  in  the  Equatorial  Province  there  is  a  hereditary  practi- 
tioner of  this  profession  who  is  greatly  venerated  and  looked 
«p  to,  and  who  displays  great  skill  in  extracting  large  fees 
for  useless  advice.] 

Since  we  left  the  Congo  I  have  not  seen  any  idols ;  and  all 
the  aborigines,  so  far  as  I  have  met  them,  appear  not  to 
believe  in  any  supreme  being.  This  is  also  conclusive 
proof  of  the  absence  of  Masonic  principles  amongst  these 
people. 

April  24. —  .... 

April  25. — We  left  Kavalli's  station,  and  marched  (about 
four  hours)  nearly  as  far  as  the  crest  of  the  range  of  hills 
■which  overlook  the  Albert  I^yanza,  where  we  formed  our  camp. 
The  name  of  the  place  is  Bundi,  and  it  is  situated — at  a  height  of 
4,900  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea — on  one  of  the  mountain 
ranges  which  separate  the  vast  areas  of  the  basins  of  the  Congo 
xind  the  Nile.  Here  one  can  walk  from  the  "  head  waters  "  of 
the  IS'ile  to  those  of  the  Congo  within  fifteen  minutes.  The 
yillage  itself  is  on  the  crest ;  our  camp  was  on  the  brow  of  the 
2)lateau,  overhanging  the  plain,  which  stretches  from  its  base  to 
the  shore  of  the  iVlbert  ISTyanza.  It  commands  an  excellent 
view  of  a  great  portion  of  the  southern  end  of  the  lake. 

April  26. — We  descended  the  precipitous  slopes  to  the 
plains;  this  proceeding  occupied  about  two  hours  and  forty 
minutes.  We  reached  a  village,  the  natives  of  which  refused 
to  give  us  any  food ;  so  we  collected  a  supply  of  provisions  of 
Indian  corn  and  bananas — about  enough  for  five  days. 

April  27. — Two  parties  were  sent  out  to  reconnoitre :  one 


222  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

was  sent  to  the  shore  of  the  lake  (about  five  miles  off)  to 
ascertain  whether  Emin  Pasha's  steamer  was  in  sight ;  the 
second  party  was  entrusted  to  me,  and  we  spent  some  hours  in 
examining  the  natural  products  of  the  neighbourhood.  We 
succeeded  in  killing  some  game,  which  was  brought  back  to 
camp.    I  missed  a  kudu,  but  Wadi  Mabruki  brought  down  two. 

April  28. — Saat  Tato,  Wadi  Mabruki,  and  myself  went  out 
to  shoot  meat,  for  provisions  for  ourselves  and  men.  Wadi 
Mabruki  shot  two  kudus,  and  one  spring-bok ;  Saat  Tato  and 
'  myself  were  unsuccessful  in  our  efforts. 

Apeil  29 — Sunday. — Every  man  remained  in  camp,  as  we 
expected  the  boat  and  steamer  every  minute.  Just  before 
noon,  a  letter  was  brought  from  Jephson,  saying  tliat  he  had 
arrived  at  Emin  Pasha's  station,  Mswa,  at  9.30  a.m.  on  the 
26th  inst. ;  but  that  Emin  was  away  with  the  steamers  and 
would  not  be  back  for  a  few  days ;  when  he  returned  they 
would  come  down  together  to  us.  He  sent  us  two  baskets  of 
onions.  They  were  brought  by  natives  in  a  canoe.  We 
packed  up  our  things  at  once  and  marched  oif — within  twenty 
minutes  of  the  receipt  of  Jephson's  letter.  We  reached  the 
lake  in  four  hours,  and  made  our  camp  just  before  sunset. 
Everyone  was  on  the  qui  vive  to  try  and  be  the  first  to  sight 
the  steamers.  Each  of  us  tried  for  an  elevated  spot  so  that 
he  might  have  a  good  point  of  view,  and  everyone  strained 
his  eyes  to  the  utmost.  Mr.  Stanley  got  a  good  'vantage- 
ground  by  utilising  the  summit  of  an  ant-hill,  on  which  he 
stood  and  used  his  "binoculars."  He  was,  accordingly,  the 
first  to  announce  "  Steamer !  "  (about  5  p.m.) — she  was  then 
about  seven  or  eight  miles  off.  As  the  vessel  came  closer 
within  range  the  Zanzibaris  became  perfectly  wild  with 
excitement.  They  were  overjoyed,  at  the  certainty  of  the 
existence  of  the  mysterious  white  man,  in  search  for  whom 
they  had  wandered  so  far  and  suffered  so  much — an  existence, 
the  fact  of  which  they  had  often  bitterly  questioned  in  the' 
course  of  their  weary  wanderings  through  the  forest.  We 
had  bonfires  lighted  in  conspicuous  positions,  and  we  also  set 
fire  to  the  parched  grass,  so  as  to  attract  the  attention  of 
those  on  board  the  steamer.  The  vessel  did  not  approach  us 
directly,  but  made  for  a  bay  about  two  and  a  half  miles  away, 
in  which  she  anchored  (shortly  before  7  P.M.).  Mr.  Stanley 
dispatched   me   with   an   escort  to   receive   the    Pasha    and 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   223 

conduct  him  to  our  camp.  It  Avas  pretty  dark  by  the  time 
I  got  near  the  phice  where  the  steamer  was  anchored,  so  I 
fired  a  couple  of  volleys,  on  hearing  which  the  Pasha,  accom- 
panied by  Casati  and  Jephson,  put  off  in  our  boat  and  came 
towards  us.  In  the  dim  twilight  we  saw  the  Advance 
rapidly  propelled  by  the  experienced  stroke  of  her  now  joyous 
Zanzibari  crew.  They  very  soon  gained  the  shore,  where  I 
received  the  party.  Emin  Pasha  then  took  Jephson's  arm, 
and  Casati  mine,  and  our  men  displayed  their  sense  of  tbe 
triumphant  issue  of  our  wanderings  by  firing  several  volleys. 
It  was  not  the  least  dangerous  stage  of  our  mission,  this — the 
Pasha's  men  were  so  excited  that  they  let  off  their  bullets  in  all 
directions,  and  at  every  angular  elevation,  so  that  a  good  many 
whizzed  by,  unpleasantly  close  to  our  heads,  as  we  moved  about 
in  the  dark.  Our  Zanzibaris  had  lighted  numerous  bonfires, 
and  preceded  us  as  in  a  kind  of  torchlight  procession,  show- 
ing us  the  road  to  the  camp,  which  was  now  about  a  couple  of 
hundred  yards  off.  I  had  a  most  animated  conversation  with 
Casati ;  nothing  deterred,  apparently,  by  the  fact  that  neither 
of  us  could  speak  two  words  in  a  common  language.  Jephson's 
attention  was  fully  occupied  in  keeping  the  Pasha  from 
stumbling  into  swamps  and  holes,  as  he  is  extremely  short- 
sighted. He  is  very  slightly  built,  and  rather  short  in  stature 
(aboat  five  feet  seven  inches  in  height).  He  wore  a  clean 
white  shirt,  with  a  spotless  coat  and  trousers.  His  bronze 
skin  and  black  hair  were  shown  out  in  strong  contrast  by 
these  garments.  He  looked  cheerful,  and  was  excessively 
polite.  The  meeting  between  our  leader  and  him  was  a  verv 
Avarm  one.  Mr.  Stanley  gave  the  Pasha  a  seat,  and  invited 
Casati,  Jephson,  and  myself  to  sit  down  on  some  boxes  which 
had  been  arranged  to  serve  as  seats.  He  then  disappeared 
for  a  moment,  and  returned  with  three  pints  of  champagne ; 
which  he  had  been  keeping  carefully  concealed  away  in  the 
legs  of  a  pair  of  long  stockings,  buried  in  the  lower  de23ths  of 
his  box.  We  then  all  drank  the  Pasha's  health  and  also 
Casati's.  The  Pasha  said  that  he  could  scarcely  express  his 
thanks  to  the  English  for  sending  him  relief  at  the  expense  of  so 
much  trouble  and  cost ;  but  added  that  he  did  not  know  whether 
he  would  care  to  come  out,  after  doing  so  much  work  in  the 
province,  and  having  everything  now  in  perfect  order.  Jephson 
says  that  Mswa  Station  has  an  orderly  and  cleanly  appear- 


224  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

anee.  We  all  hope  that  Emin  Pasha  will  make  up  his  mind 
to  come  out  with  us  :  however,  Mr.  Stanley  pointedly  observed 
that  our  object  in  coming  was  to  bring  him  relief  in  am- 
munition, &c.,  and  not  to  bring  him  out ;  as  we  shall  have 
barely  enough  men  left  to  enable  us  to  push  our  way  through 
to  Zanzibar,  and  protect  ourselves  in  the  course  ;  without  the 
responsibility  and  trouble  of  looking  after  Emin  and  all  his 
people.  Our  duty  will  be  finished  when  we  have  handed  over 
the  ammunition,  which  was  what  he  required  to  j)^^otect 
himself. 

April  30. — We  marched  the  column  a  few  miles  further  on 
to-day,  to  a  good  camping-ground ;  this  was  desirable,  as  we 
shall  probably  remain  here  for  ten  days,  or  so,  more.  Mr. 
Stanley  has  gone  up  in  the  steamer  to  appoint  our  new  camp, 
accompanied  by  Emin  Pasha  and  Casati.  The  Pasha  brought 
with  him  many  cows,  sheep,  goats,  a  donkey,  onions,  matem- 
mah  (durha)  flour  ;  also  a  quantity  of  cloth,  and  a  demi-john  (or 
large  glass  bottle)  of  clear  intoxicating  liquid — distilled  from 
grain,  and  not  unlike  Irish  "  poteen."  The  cloth  is  especially 
useful,  as  we  are  all  in  rags,  and  look  the  characters  of  fearful 
brigands  when  we  stand  near  the  man  whom  we  have  come  so 
far  to  rescue — the  neat,  and  beautifully-dressed  Pasha. 

Emin  Pasha  turned  out  in  full  uniform  to-day  :  this  consists 
of  an  old  blue  tunic  with  epaulettes  and  a  few  brass  buttons, 
decorated  with  crescent  and  a  star ;  also  a  sword,  and  blue 
trousers  with  a  red  stripe.  All  his  soldiers  are  dressed  in 
uniform — coat  and  trousers,  made  of  tan-coloured  cotton  cloth, 
which  is  grown  and  prepared  in  his  own  province.  The  but- 
tons are  beautifully  made  from  shells  ;  each  of  which  is  pierced 
with  two  holes,  and  sewn  on  with  cotton  thread.  They  all  wear 
leather  sandals  ;  as  there  are  many  mimosa,  and  other  thorny 
trees,  in  the  country.  They  wear  hats  (neatly  woven)  of  grass, 
with  a  small  conical  crown,  and  a  broad  leaf  to  keep  off  the 
sun.     They  are  all  armed  with  Eemingtons. 

Several  of  our  men  have  got  entozoa  (both  ta2-)e  and  round 
worms).  They  have  developed  the  symptoms  but  quite 
recently.  I  believe  it  is  from  the  drinking  water ;  the  ante- 
lope functions  as  intermediate  host  for  the  corresponding 
parasites,  which  is  suggestive  of  the  source.  I  have  no  doubt 
that  the  excreta  of  these  animals — easily  as  they  do,  finding 
their  way  into  the  water  used  by  the  natives  (and  traveller) — 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASUA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   225 

here  furnish  the  ova  aud  scoliees  respectively,  which  reach  their 
Unal  stages  of  development  in  the  human  intestines. 

]May  1. — Emin  Pasha  is  still  doubtful  about  leaving  his 
beloved  province.  AVe  have  brought  him  many  packages  of 
letters  and  papers,  Avhich  we  (three)  are  hoping  may  influence 
him.  He  seems  to  look  upon  himself  as  the  slave  of  his 
people,  and  that  his  services  are  entirely  theirs,  to  be  used  as 
they  may  think  proper.  He  must  have  been  an  ideal  liberal 
governor ! 

May  2. — Emin  has  sent  me  a  pair  of  slippers  ;  made  in 
Turkish  fashion,  with  pointed,  turned-up  toes.  They  are 
fashioned  from  a  beautifully-prepared  leather  of  a  bright 
crimson-red  colour,  and  are  decorated  with  a  degree  of  taste 
and  elegance  that  might  have  satisfied  the  luxurious  fancies  of 
a  reigning  harem  favourite.  These  slippers,  like  their  other 
articles  of  dress,  are  made  by  Emin's  own  people.  He  has 
also  given  me  as  much  cotton  cloth  as  will  make  me  a  pair  of 
trousers  and  a  shirt ;  these  articles  are  sadly  wanted,  as  my 
old  ones  have  gone  down  to  a  few  incoherent  shreds,  and  these 
are  hourly  diminishing  in  quantity,  apparently  by  evaporation. 
Emin  is  extremely  courteous  and  considerate,  and  appears  to 
take  a  genuine  pleasure  in  giving  things  away  to  friends  and 
dependents.  I  do  not  like  to  appear  before  him  until  my 
garments  are  made,  for  the  contrast  is  too  great.  I  have  only 
three  buttons  left,  so  that  I  am  obliged  to  sneeze,  or  under- 
take any  sudden  exertion,  with  very  great  caution. 

May  3. — The  men  have  finished  building  their  huts,  and 
have  constructed  two  bomas:  one  for  cows,  the  second  for 
sheep  and  goats.  The  steamer  started  this  morning  on  a 
provisioning  trip,  from  which  she  is  to  return  in  ten  days. 

I  had  very  high  fever  to-day — temperature  106°  F.  all  day. 
Fever  seems  to  be  more  prevalent  here  than  even  in  the  forest. 
The  gradual  depression  of  the  level  of  the  lake  is  leaving  a 
very  miasmatic  plain  around  its  shores  ;  and  the  chilly  breezes, 
Avhich  are  so  constantly  circulating  about  its  waters,  invariably 
bring  on  fever. 

May  4. — Our  hunters  have  brought  in  some  game,  but  there 
is  no  food  of  any  other  kind  within  two  or  three  days'  march 
from  here.  I  am  down  with  fever  again  to-day,  but  not  so 
high  as  yesterday. 

In  the  middle  of  my  high  fever  of  yesterday,  I  was  obliged 

Q 


226  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

to  walk  a  distance  of  over  three  miles,  in  the  lieat  of  the  noon- 
day sun,  to  see  one  of  our  men,  ]\[abruki  Wadi  Kassan,  who 
had  been  nearly  gored  to  death  by  a  wounded  buffalo.  The 
infuriated  animal  had  caught  him  Avith  one  of  its  horns 
between  the  thighs,  tossed  him  into  the  air,  and  then  trampled 
on  him  as  ho  lay  on  the  ground  after  falling.  I  found  the 
perinncum  so  completely  laid  open,  that  the  bladder  and  ad- 
jacent portions  of  the  intestine  were  fully  exposed.  He  also 
had  several  ribs  broken,  and  his  head  was  severely  bruised. 
His  companion  had  escaped  similar  treatment  by  nimbly 
climbing  up  a  tree,  while  the  buffalo's  attention  was  concen- 
trated on  the  victim  whom  he  had  secured. 

I  dressed  Mabruki's  wounds,  and  had  him  conveyed  to  camp 
on  a  cow-hide  stretcher.  Saat  Tato  had  managed  to  kill  the 
buffalo,  with  the  single  cartridge  which  was  left  among  the 
party  when  the  scene  occurred.  This  completed  the  list  of 
three  buffaloes  and  one  antelope  which  had  fallen  the  prey  of 
Mabruki's  rifle  this  morning.  It  had  been  a  day  of  triumph 
for  him  in  the  early  part  of  its  course ;  but,  poor  fellow,  the 
wheel  of  fortune  rapidly  turned  a  complete  revolution.  His 
case  is,  of  course,  a  desperate  one. 

May  5. — A  rumour  reached  us  to-day  that  Kabba  Kega, 
King  of  Unyoro,  is  sending  a  force  of  700  rifles  to  attack  us. 
This  individual  seems  to  prevail  against  all  surrounding- 
districts,  after  the  manner  of  a  raging  pestilence :  all  the 
neighbouring  tribes  are  living  in  perpetual  terror  of  his 
attacks.  He  is  possessed  of  2,000  rifles,  most  of  which  are 
tower  muskets,  but  others  are  modern  Winchesters. 

May  6. — We  experience  a  considerable  amount  of  difficulty 
in  maintaining  the  sanitation  of  our  camp  in  a  satisfactory 
.state,  as  there  is  so  much  meat  lying  about  in  all  directions. 
"  Fatigue  parties  "  are  deputed  to  clean  up  the  camp  every  morn- 
ing. Kites  are  always  flying  about  in  great  numbers,  and  are 
•constantly  swooping  down  to  snap  up  fragments  of  meat ;  these" 
birds  are  so  daring  that  they  often  snatch  pieces  of  meat  out 
•of  the  men's  hands.  Emin  Pasha  requested  Blr.  Stanley  to 
allow  one  of  his  officers  to  visit  his  province,  and  read  the 
Khedive's  orders ;  so  that  his  people  would  have  ocular  evidence 
that  our  Expedition  has  actually  come  for  their  relief.  Emin 
named  me  in  connection  with  this  request.  Mr.  Stanley, 
however,  said  that  it  was  absolutely  necessary  for  me  to  remain 


1888.]   MEETINa  WITH  EMIN  PASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   227 

with  the  Expedition,  and  added  that  he  would  leave  Jephsoii, 
This  arrangement  was,  accordingly,  agreed  to. 

May  7. — Emin  Pasha  still  seems  very  undecided  about 
-coming  out  with  us.  He  avers  that  he  would  be  quite  happy 
in  Africa,  if  he  could  receive  papers  and  letters  from  Europe. 
JETe  says  that  he  will  come  away  if  his  people  will  allow  him : 
iie  does  not  like  the  idea  of  leaving  his  people,  and  does  not 
think  that  they  will  come  out  with  him,  as  they  are  all 
-aborigines,  and  hate  the  Egyptians.  They  have  little  or  no 
idea  of  the  geography  of  the  coast-line  of  Africa;  most  of 
them  have  never  even  heard  of  the  name  of  Cairo,  and  the 
best  informed  among  them  have  but  some  vague  idea  of  a 
large  town  in  that  direction,  which  they  know  by  the  name  of 
"  Masara."  Mr.  Stanley  has  proposed  to  him  that  in  the  event 
of  his  deciding  not  to  come  to  the  coast,  he  should  come  to  the 
north-east  angle  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  where  he  would  be 
placed  in  communication  with  the  outer  world,  and  might 
■comfortably  enjoy  the  correspondence  with  Europe  which  he 
so  much  desires.  This  position  should,  I  think,  satisfy  most 
of  the  conditions  which  he  seems  to  desire. 

May  8. — I  gave  Emin  Pasha's  people  an  entertainment  in 
the  shape  of  a  demonstration  in  "thought  reading."  My 
pir-finding  was  perfectly  successful,  and  I  also  found  with 
ease  various  other  articles — some  of  them  deposited  at  con- 
siderable distances  from  the  camp.  I  was  quite  surprised  at 
myself!  I  also  told  any  of  them  to  think  of  something  that  I 
ishould  do,  and,  without  imparting  the  secret  thought  to  any 
one,  I  would  do  what  the  selected  person  desired.  In  this 
■ordeal  I  was  also  successful  in  every  instance.  I  caused  ex- 
traordinary excitement  by  finding  an  axe  which  Hawish 
Effendi  (commanding  2nd  Battalion),  one  of  the  Pasha's 
majors,  had  buried  in  the  sand  of  the  lake  shore  at  a  consider- 
.able  distance  from  our  headquarters.  This  performance  was 
looked  upon  as  quite  supernatural. 

The  steamer  is  due  to-day,  but  no  sign  of  it  has  yet  appeared. 
It  is  too  awful  to  think  of  going  back  all  the  way  for  Barttelot 
— it  means  about  ten  months  more  in  the  bush.  Jephson  and 
myself  have  both  had  a  great  deal  of  fever  since  we  came  to 
the  shores  of  the  Nyanza,  which  we  had  been  hoping  would 
prove  a  sort  of  Garden  of  Eden  to  us.  It  is  very  gusty  and 
draughty  on  the  lake  shore,  and  we  certainly  have  to  blame 

Q  2 


228  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

ourselves  for  exposure  to  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  while  out 
shooting  at  buffalo  and  antelope. 

There  are  some  small  plantations  on  the  plain,  but  most  of 
the  scrub  is  made  up  of  mimosa  bush,  the  thorns  of  which 
are  a  source  of  very  great  annoyance  to  our  men.  They 
are  obliged  to  wear  thick  sandals  to  protect  their  feet  from 
them  ;  and,  accordingly,  a  new  article  of  dress,  which  had  been 
conveniently  dispensed  with  in  the  forest,  has  to  be  carefully 
provided.  We  are  anxious  to  be  on  the  move  again ;  as  wo 
find  by  experience  that  all  rest  and  no  work  is  demoralizing 
— to  ourselves  as  well  as  to  the  men. 

Emin  Pasha  has  given  me  some  cotton-cloth,  which  was 
woven  by  the  inhabitants  of  his  province.  I  have  had  one 
shirt,  one  pair  of  trousers,  and  two  pairs  of  knickerbockers- 
made  from  it ;  so  that  my  nakedness  is  again  hidden. 

At  a  shauri  held  in  the  Pasha's  tent,  where  his  Excellency 
and  his  officers  were  conferring  with  Mr.  Stanley  and  myself^ 
the  Pasha  showed  his  w'eakness  by  asking  Hawish  Effendi,  in 
our  presence,  if  he  Avould  promise,  there  before  Mr.  Stanley,  to 
use  his  influence  to  get  his  people  out.  This  lowered  his  status- 
at  once  in  our  eyes,  as  it  clearly  proved  the  Pasha's  want  of 
authority.  He  has  evidently  no  power  to  lead  off  his  men  in 
any  direction — he  has  merely  a  voice  among  them,  perhaps  a. 
little  more  influential  than  the  average. 

May  9.—.    .    .    . 

Mat  10. — There  was  nothing  done  in  camp  yesterday ; 
everybody  is  feeling  the  ennui  of  sitting  down  and  loafing- 
about.  The  monotony  of  this  existence  was  abruptly  broken 
to-day  by  the  arrival  of  news  which  roused  our  leader's  ire  to  a 
high  pitch.  Emin  Pasha  brought  him  the  intelligence  that 
three  of  our  men  had  been  living  with  the  natives,  on  the  hills» 
for  a  day  and  a  night;  also,  that  Nubiambari  of  (No.  1 
Company)  had  been  killed  by  the  natives.  It  appeared,  on 
inquiry,  tliat  seven  of  our  Zanzibaris  took  their  rifles  yesterday, 
and  rambled  away  to  perform  some  private  looting  among  the 
natives  of  the  hillside.  During  the  progress  of  this  crusade 
one  of  the  seven  was  wounded  with  an  arrow  ;  and,  as  usual,  his 
comrades  ran  away  and  loft  him  in  the  hands  of  his  enemies. 
They  do  not  appear  to  have  made  any  attempt  wliatever  to 
rescue  him,  although  they  all  had  their  rifles,  and  might  have- 
made  a  good  fight. 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBEBT.   220 

On  hearing  this  irritating  report,  Mr.  Stanley  at  once  fell  in 
the  men,  and  fined  Saat  Tato,  Wadi  Mabruki,  and  some  of  the 
men  for  losing  their  cartridges.  (Wellington  said,  "  Punish- 
ment is  cruel — nothing  is  so  inhuman  as  impunity.")  I  was 
then  dispatched  with  a  force  of  forty-two  armed  men  to  search 
for  Nubiambari.  I  left  camp  at  7  a.m.,  and  marched  to  the 
native  settlement  on  the  side  of  the  hill ;  at  which  I  arrived 
about  3  P.M.  We  found  some  grain,  some  chickens,  and  three 
goats.  We  saw,  however,  no  trace  of  Nubiambari  or  his  rifle, 
and  commenced  to  make  a  move  towards  home  at  sunset,  when 
the  natives,  considering  that  our  retreat  was  symptomatic  of  fear, 
•started  out  from  all  their  hiding-places,  and  came  down  upon 
iis  in  great  force.  They  seemed  to  rise  from  behind  every  rock, 
and  swarmed  like  vermin  out  of  the  cornfields.  A  few  rounds, 
however,  stopped  those  who  were  coming  on  us  from  behind. 
They  made  a  tremendous  noise,  shrieking  to  one  another  along 
the  hill-tops.  Fortunately,  the  Zanzibaris  knew  their  lan- 
guage sufficiently  well  to  know  what  they  were  saying  ;  those 
on  the  hill  were  calling  down  to  those  in  the  hollow  to  go  and 
lie  in  wait  in  the  corn,  and  attack  us  as  we  descended  towards 
the  plain.  Acting  on  this  knowledge,  I  thought  it  more 
2)rudent  to  halt  for  the  night  at  a  small  village  close  by  ;  where 
we  could  strengthen  our  position  by  making  a  strong  boma, 
which  would  keep  off  any  rush  of  the  enemy,  and  shield  us 
from  their  missiles.  I  considered  this  much  more  prudent 
than  an  attempt  to  pass  through  the  matemmah  fields,  alive 
with  the  native  archers  ;  who  would  be  able,  in  the  dusk  of  the 
evening,  to  pick  us  off'  from  either  side  with  perfect  impunity. 
I  do  not  believe  that  half  our  number  would  have  escaped 
them.  So  I  told  off  a  small  detachment  to  burn  down  about 
thirty  huts,  and  so  give  us  a  clear  space  of  about  fifty  yards 
around  our  position.  Having  thus  procured  sufficient  accom- 
modation, I  gave  the  men  the  goats  to  eat,  which  furnished 
material  for  a  good  square  meal ;  after  which  they  disposed 
themselves  contentedly  in  their  several  places  for  the  night — 
as  natives  rarely  attack  at  night — and  we  rested  without 
any  disturbance  except  that  produced  by  mosquitoes.  The 
latter  are  certainly  atrocious  pests  in  this  part  of  the  world  ; 
they  bite  most  viciously — I  only  hope  that  they  will  not 
inoculate  us  Avith  any  specimens  of  the  filaria  which  they  so 
often  carry  about  with  them. 


230  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.  [ISSff, 

May  1 1 . — I  started  before  daybreak,  and  marclied  down  by 
a  different  road  to  that  by  which  I  ascended.  We  got  safely 
off  before  the  natives  were  awake,  and  marched  from  5  a.m  tilL 
noon,  when  we  all  reached  camp  in  safety,  bringing  back  some 
food  witli  us. 

May  12. — All  the  men  fell  in  this  morning  in  presence  of 
our  leader.  There  were  two  of  the  total  number  missing.  He- 
directed  me  to  take  charge  of  twenty-nine  men,  to  teach  them 
skirmishing ;  the  remainder  he  sent  to  build  huts.  The  men- 
have  now  three  days'  provisions,  as  I  brought  back  nine  cups, 
of  corn  (with  beans,  &c.)  to  each  man.  The  improvident  crea- 
tures deserve  to  be  left  w  ithout  food :  they  would  n.ot  carry 
up  all  the  corn  from  the  steamer  the  other  day,  Avhen  it 
brought  a  large  quantity  for  them,  and  she  had  simply  tO' 
hring  it  hach  again.  On  their  return  yesterday  from  our 
expedition  the  men  left,  as  usual,  a  substantial  store  of  pro- 
visions hidden  here  and  there  in  the  long  grass ;  the  packets- 
were,  however,  picked  up  by  Uledi,  and  brought  into  camp. 
These  are  aggravating  instances  of  the  deficiencies  of  our 
people  :  not  only  in  forethought  for  themselves,  but  in  grati- 
tude to  their  leaders,  and  good-fellowship  to  their  comrades. 

May  13-14.— .    .    .    . 

May  15. — The  steamer  Khedive  left  this  morning  to  bring 
back  carriers ;  she  will  return  in  eight  or  nine  days.  She  is 
in  good  repair,  very  clean,  and  is  able  to  steam  at  the  rate  of 
five  knots  an  hour.  She  has  now  been  with  Emin  Pasha  in 
constant  use — between  the  Nile  and  the  Albert  Nyanza — for- 
ten  years ;  and  had  been  employed  at  Khartoum  for  a  consider- 
able time  before  she  fell  into  his  hands. 

I  had  a  sharp  attack  of  fever  yesterday,  brought  on  by  the- 
drill-exercise,  during  which  I  was  exposed  to  the  intense  heat 
of  the  sun — which  is  the  most  treacherous  enemy  of  the 
Europeans  in  Africa — alternately  with  gusts  of  really  cold  wind,, 
which  blew  from  time  to  time  off  the  lake.  My  experience 
of  African  fever  up  to  the  present  has  invariably  been  that  the- 
more  chill  the  more  fever — one  never  occurs  without  the  other. 
This  fact  has  completely  disarranged  the  preconceived  ideas, 
which  I  derived  from  my  early  reading,  and  the  teaching 
which  I  had  received  on  the  subject.  Another  tradition  wliich 
I  had  iml)ibed  on  tlie  subject  of  malarial  fever,  aiid  whicli  has 
been  completely  dissipated  by  the  incidents  of  the  E.  P.  R^ 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   231 

Expedition,  is  the  false  doctrine  that  the  lower  animals  never 
develop  its  symptoms.  The  shade  of  my  poor  donkey — whose 
eartlily  remains  are  now  mouldering  near  the  Manyuema  Camp 
at  Ipoto,  had  it  the  power  of  responding  to  scientific  queries, 
could  yield  up  convincing  testimony  to  the  contrary. 

[Since  my  return  I  have  looked  with  interest  to  see  whether 
the  science  of  bacteriology,  which  had  been  making  such 
gigantic  strides  during  our  absence,  had  succeded  in  throwing 
any  additional  light  on  the  etiology  of  malarial  fevers  ;  but  I 
found,  to  my  disappointment,  that  the  information  obtained  in 
this  domain  still  leaves  the  subject  in  an  unsatisfactory 
condition.  The  bacilli  of  Klebs  and  Tomassi  Crudeli,  and  the 
alga-\\\<.e  micro-organisms  of  Laveran  have,  since  the  observa- 
tion of  their  original  discoverers,  been  repeatedly  examined 
with  interest.  The  ainoeba-V[ke  bodies  {'plasmodia  or  hmna- 
2)Iasmodia)  of  the  latter,  which  he  has  found  in  the  blood  of 
malarial  patients — sometimes  free  in  the  plasma,  and  some- 
times enclosed  in  the  red  corpuscles — have  been  criticised  by 
Mace,  who  would  refer  them  to  the  second  variety  {corps 
jiagelles)  of  Laveran's  alga-Vike  bodies,  and  by  Golgi,  who 
looks  on  them  as  specimens  of  myxormjcetes ;  while  they  are 
referred  by  their  discoverer  himself  to  the  animal  kingdom, 
uader  the  name  of  "  hsematozoairesy  No  specific  ptomaines 
appear  up  to  the  present  to  have  been  isolated  from  cases  of 
the  disease,  and  no  successful  attempt  has  been  made  to  show 
how  it  is  that  the  influence  of  either  microspore  or  ptomaine 
can  regulate  the  periodicity  of  the  fever.  I  am,  however, 
glad  to  be  able  to  assure  the  practical  pathologists  who  have 
so  often  regretted  the  non-susceptibility  of  lower  animals  to 
malaria,  as  one  of  the  greatest  obstacles  to  their  investigation 
of  the  disease,  that  such  obstruction  has  no  real  existence — at 
least,  in  the  heart  of  Africa.] 

May  16-21.—  .    .    .    . 

May  22. — Nothing  remarkable  has  happened  since  the  15th. 
This  morning,  however,  a  stimulus  was  given  to  our  monoton- 
ous existence  by  the  arrival  of  Emin  Pasha's  two  steamers — 
Khedive  and  Ntjanza — with  eighty  soldiers  and  150  carriers  on 
board,  besides  fifty  other  persons. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  to  start  on  the  day  after  to-morrow,  to  bring 
up  the  rear-column  and  its  loads.  He  brings  me  with  him,  and 
our  own  force  of  Zanzibari  carriers — 122  in  number — accom- 


232  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1888. 

panied  by  130  Mahdi  carriers,  mIio  have  been  supplied  by  Emin 
Pasha.     We  will  probably  be  many  months  away. 

The  steamers  on  arrival  j)layed  the  Khedivial  hymn.  Emin 
Pasha  sent  us  a  large  quantity  of  melons,  oranges,  pome- 
granates, pastry,  &c.,  &c.  He  gave  me  a  present  of  a  donkey 
to-day.  He  is  never  more  happy,  apparently,  than  when  he 
is  conferring  gifts ;  he  is  certainly  one  of  the  kindliest  and 
most  generous  men  I  have  met. 

May  23. — The  men  spent  the  day  grinding  corn  into  flour,  for 
the  return.  Emin  Pasha  sent  for  me,  and  gave  me  personally 
a  present  of  beads.  He  is  most  kindly  and  considerate  ;  thinks 
of  everything  to  make  us  happy  and  comfortable.  He  gave 
us  a  ten-gallon  vessel  of  spirituous  liquor  prepared  by  him- 
self; it  is  clear  and  nearly  colourless,  and  almost  as  intoxi- 
cating as  whisky.  It  is  evidently  the  "  poteen  "  of  Africa 
— minus  the  vexatious  espionage  of  the  Kevenue  officers. 
During  our  stay  here  at  the  lake,  both  Jephson  and  myself 
have,  according  to  orders,  taken  the  men  out  every  day  to 
cut  a  road  through  the  long  grass  in  the  direction  of  the 
village,  at  the  bottom  of  the  steep  ascent  to  the  plateau ;  it  is 
a  yard  and  a  half  in  breadth,  and  now  at  least  three  miles  long. 
This  Avork  kept  the  men  in  health,  and  out  of  mischief ;  but 
neither  Jephson  or  myself  cared  much  for  the  job.  We  cut  the 
path  perfectly  straight,  and  measured  it  by  a  long  tape. 

May  24. — Queens  hirthdaij.  Mr.  Stanley  and  I  left  camj) 
to-day,  to  take  another  long  plunge  into  the  forest  and  bring 
up  the  rear  column,  having  bade  Emin,  Jephson,  &c., 
affectionate  adieus.  We  had  our  own  men,  and  130  natives  of 
the  Mahdi  tribe,  furnished  by  Emin,  to  act  as  porters.  I  had 
charge  of  the  rear  guard,  with  thirteen  rifles.  Emin  Pasha 
marched  his  regular  soldiers  outside,  to  a  distance  of  about  a 
mile  and  a  half;  and  formed  them  up  close  to  our  path,  to 
offer  us  their  farewell  salutations.  Tliey  played  the  Khedivial 
hymn  as  we  passed  by. 

When  we  had  proceeded  a  couple  of  miles  further,  twenty  of 
our  Mahdi  porters  deserted  us.  I  placed  two  Zanzibaris  to  look 
after  each  batch  of  twenty-three  carriers;  but  there  -were  so 
many  rivers,  and  so  much  bush,  that  the  natives  had  a  good 
opportunity  of  deserting.  At  a  place  about  eight  miles  from 
the  Nyanza,  these  Mahdi  carriers  deserted  e?i  ?»asse — all  ran  off 
togetJier !     I  fired  at  one,  who  fell  within  a  few  yards  as  if 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMJN  FASHA  AT  LAKE  ALBEET.   233 

<lead ;  I  noticed  his  eyes  blinking,  and  lifting  his  eyelid,  so  as 
to  show  him  the  rifle,  brought  him  to  his  legs  in  as  good 
health  as  ever.  The  ru£San  had  merely  feigned  being  killed  ; 
but  did  it  very  cleverly,  as  he  was  not  even  hit.  About  thirty- 
one  were  then  secured.  Finally,  I  succeeded  in  bringing  nine- 
teen (of  the  130)  into  the  camp.     I  shot  one  in  self-defence. 

All  the  rest  of  the  column  had  now  got  miles  ahead.  I 
arrived  at  camp  at  2  p.m.,  after  an  unprofitable  march  of  ten 
aniles.  At  3  p.m.,  I  started  back  with  fifteen  Zanzibaris  to  Emin 
Pasha ;  to  try  and  see  if  I  could  pick  up  some  of  my  deserters. 
I  recovered  but  two. 

I  dined  with  Emin  and  Jephson,  and  we  drank  the  Queen's 
liealth  in  spirit  of  the  Pasha's  manufacture.  He  also  gave  us 
some  cheese  of  his  own  making. 

During  dinner,  a  canoe  arrived  from  Mswa  station,  with  the 
intelligence  that  120  carriers  had  arrived  there.  Emin  im- 
mediately sent  the  steamer  (at  midnight)  to  fetch  these  porters. 
He  also  dispatched  a  party  of  forty  of  his  soldiers,  to  try  and 
intercept  the  runaways  who  had  left  us.  I  walked  twenty 
miles  to-day,  so  I  feel  pretty  well  tired,  between  the  exertion  and 
the  accompanying  anxiety  ;  and  am  glad  of  the  evening's  rest. 

May  25. — I  returned  early  to  Stanley  Camp.  As  it  is  full 
m«on,  the  120  carriers  and  any  of  the  deserters  who  may  have 
been  picked  up  will  be  sent  on  after  us,  with  an  escort  of 
forty  of  Emin's  soldiers.  I  brought  fourteen  of  Emin's  men 
here  to-day,  and  they  have  returned  with  ten  of  our  men,  who 
will  show  the  road.  We  are  now  encamped  at  the  foot  of  the 
precipitous  ascent  to  the  plateau,  about  eight  miles  from  the 
lake.  We  again  saw  the  snow-capped  mountains  [now  named 
■"  Mountains  of  the  Moon "],  which  I  first  saw  on  the  day  I 
brought  the  boat  to  the  lake  with  Jephson. 

May  26. — At  8  a.m.,  eighty-two  carriers  arrived  ;  under  an 
escort  of  Emin's  soldiers,  and  ten  of  our  own  men. 

At  3  P.M.  we  started — with  the  entire  column — to  climb  the 
hill.  Mr.  Stanley  was  in  advance ;  I  was  with  the  rear  guard. 
I  did  not  get  to  camp  till  1  a.m.,  on  account  of  the  delay  of 
getting  the  animals  uj)  the  hill.  (I  had  charge  of  the  pro- 
gress of  seven  cows,  six  calves,  twenty-six  sheep,  and  seven 
goats.)  I  was  obliged  to  shoot  one  cow  and  one  calf,  which 
had  proved  so  unmanageable  that  the  loss  of  time  ^^•as 
becomino-  too  serious. 


234  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.  [1888.- 

Mr.  Stanley  got  to  camp  about  6  p.m. 

May  27. — A  party  of  forty  men  who  had  gone  for  Kavalli 
last  night  has  returned  with  him.  We  marched  off  from  camp  in 
the  forenoon,  and  halted  for  the  night  about  5  p.m.  We  were 
obliged  to  kill  another  cow  that  was  unable  to  walk.  Kavalli's- 
attitude  to  us  has  certainly  been  most  kindly  and  hospitable  ^ 
and  his  friendship  is  very  pleasant,  and  wards  off  many  anxieties. 

May  28. — AVe  remained  in  camp  all  day.  The  men  had 
plenty  of  sweet  potatoes  to  eat,  and  also  some  meal.  The 
natives  presented  us  with  a  calf.  The  carriers  had  a  great 
dance  this  evening ;  an  amusing  diversity  from  the  monotony 
of  the  day.  The  tribes  around  the  shores  of  the  Nyanza  are- 
evidently  great  indulgers  in  this  form  of  pastime ;  but  so,  of 
course,  all  savage  tribes  are.  In  the  forest,  however,  we  had 
few  opportunities  of  seeing  any  displays  of  the  kind ;  but  all 
our  surroundings  here  are  more  pleasant.  Each  tribe  has  its. 
characteristic  code  of  dancing  gymnastics,  but  all  partake  of 
the  features  of  the  nautch  dance. 

May  29. — We  left  camp  at  4  a.m.,  and  marched  till  day- 
light. We  had  a  good  moon.  At  daylight  we  met  a  native 
army,  1,500  in  number :  500  followers  of  Mazamboni,  500  of 
Mpigwa's  men,  and  500  others.  We  halted  to  confer  with 
them,  for  here  was  the  rendezvous :  Mr.  Stanley  having  arranged 
to  assist  these  chiefs  in  a  tribal  feud  which  they  have  been 
carrying  out  with  some  of  their  neighbours.  They  were  now 
actually  on  their  way  to  make  a  raid  on  the  chief  with  whom 
the  vendetta  existed.  Mr.  Stanley  sent  me  with  sixty  armed 
men,  of  my  own  company,  supported  on  either  flank  by  750 
natives.  But  the  enemy  must  have  had  warning  of  oiir  approach, 
as  they  had  all  fled,  and  not  one  was  to  be  seen  any^^•here. 
The  inhabitants  had  taken  their  cattle  and  food  with  them 
to  the  hills.  We  accompanied  our  friends — on  foot  all  the- 
time — from  4  a.m.  till  1  p.m.,  going  all  the  while  at  the  rate 
of  about  three  miles  an  hour,  and  did  not  get  a  morsel  to  eat 
the  ivJiole  time.  So  we  were  rather  glad  when  the  crusade 
was  over.  I  then  returned  to  where  Mr.  Stanley  had 
encamped,  on  the  side  of  a  hill.  When  I  got  back  to  Mr. 
Stanley,  after  nine  consecutive  hours'  marching,  I  had  only 
a  few  Zanzibaris  near  me,  and  all  the  natives  were  left  far 
behind ;  the  white  man  can  walk  down  either  the  Zanzibaris 
or  Aborigines  any  day,  as  their  feet  get  tender  and  swollen. 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  FASEA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   235' 

Later  ou,  all  Mazamboni's  and  Mpigwa's  people  celebrated 
the  triumphs  of  the  day  by  a  war  dance,  which  was  really  well 
performed.  The  warriors  arranged  themselves  in  perfectly 
martial  order,  and  went  through  formidable  evolutions  to  the 
sound  of  drums ;  whose  music,  accompanied  by  that  of  their 
own  voiceSj  was  simultaneously  timed  by  the  movements  of 
their  feet,  the  brandishing  of  their  spears,  and  the  gyrations, 
of  their  necks,  heads,  and  hips — accompanied  by  the  fluttering 
oscillation  of  a  bunch  of  green  leaves  stuck  in  the  belt  botk 
before  and  behind.     A  most  imposing  sight ! 

May  30. — We  left  camp  early,  and  marched  till  11  a.m.,, 
when  we  halted  for  the  day  in  our  old  camp,  near  the  end  of 
the  range  of  hills.  I  was  obliged  to  carry  a  calf  on  my  donkey, 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  march.  Mazamboni,  accompanied 
by  a  number  of  other  chiefs,  and  a  great  many  men,  came  to 
our  camp.  They  had  been  asked  to  bring  us  food,  as  we  were 
in  want  of  it ;  and  the  grateful  creatures  presented  us  with 
about  fifty  cups  of  matemmah  meal,  and  two  or  three  calves ! 
Mr.  Stanley  remonstrated  with  Mazamboni  and  his  chiefs :  he 
had  given  tliem  a  blanket,  some  cloth  and  ivory,  and  had 
formed  myself  and  sixty  of  our  men  into  a  guard  of  honour 
to  protect  these  reprobates  in  their  exj)editioTi,  in  the  hope 
that  they  would  help  us  out  of  our  difficulties  while  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  But  no  arguments  were  of  any  use ; 
Mazamboni  assured  us  that  if  we  w-aited  till  to-morrow  he 
would  give  us  food ;  and  that,  if  he  failed  to  bring  us  a  sub- 
stantial supply,  he  would  return  the  ivory,  &c.  The  honour- 
able man  intended,  of  course,  to  keep  his  word !  His  is,  how- 
ever, but  an  additional  instance  of  the  gratitude  of  which  we 
have  had  many  experiences  in  our  African  career.  The  men 
were  greatly  annoyed  at  it ;  they  are  now  able  to  express- 
themselves  pretty  strongly,  as  they  are  not  under  the  depress- 
ing influences  of  starvation. 

J\[ AY  3 1 .— ^We  remained  in  camp  all  day.  I  had  very  bad 
fever,  and  was  obliged  to  stay  in  bed.  Mazamboni  sent  us- 
three  animals  to-day,  also  a  good  quantity  of  matemmah 
and  of  malafu  (banana  wine).  We  learn  that  he  is  in  great 
dread  of  an  attack  of  reprisal  from  his  enemies,  which  clearly 
explains  this  generosity. 

June  1. — We  marched  at  daybreak,  and  halted  for  the  day 
in  a  banana  plantation. 


1^36  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

June  2. — AYe  marched  early.  3[r.  Stanley's  boy,  Hillalab, 
has  been  missing  since  yesterday.  I  was  with  the  rear-guard, 
and  did  not  get  to  camp  till  4  p.m.  I  then  commenced  my 
luncheon,  and  when  half  way  through,  Mr.  Stanley  appeared 
from  his  tent,  and  coming  to  where  I  was  eating  said, "  Doctor, 
have  you  seen  the  sick  man  ? "  I  said,  "  No,"  and  asked 
whether  he  was  a  Zanzibari.  He  said,  "he  is  a  native."  I 
immediately  left  my  luncheon  and  went  to  see,  but  found  that 
nothing  was  the  matter :  he  was  merely  a  malingerer. 

We  pitched  our  camp  close  to  the  same  village  where  Fetteh 
was  wounded  when  we  were  going  up  to  the  lake.  The  grass 
has  grown  wonderfully  since  we  were  here  before ;  it  is  now 
twice  as  high,  very  rank,  and  looks  like  reeds.  There  are 
strong  canes  interspersed.  The  neighbouring  natives  came  in 
to  see  us,  and  seemed  disposed  to  be  quite  friendly ;  so  we 
treated  them  accordingly :  our  men  brought  in  quantities  of 
sugar  cane. 

June  3. — The  natives  presented  us  with  a  goat,  one  chicken, 
and  three  bananas,  AVe  left  early,  and  marched  right  on  till 
we  reached  the  Ituri  river.  Uledi  and  Wadi  Mabruki  were 
sent  early  in  the  morning  to  hurry  to  the  river,  and  seize  some 
canoes,  which  they  succeeded  in  doing.  As  usual,  I  was  in 
f  harge  of  the  rear  guard,  and  Mr.  Stanley  in  advance.  I  gave 
Fetteh  my  donkey  to  ride,  as  he  was  unable  to  walk.  He  has 
been  very  unwell  for  some  days  past,  on  account  of  the  amount 
of  work  he  has  had  to  do  as  interpreter,  and  the  foct  that  he 
has  been  in  a  weakly  condition  since  he  received  the  arrow 
wound  in  the  epigastrium,  just  below  the  end  of  the  breast- 
]jone.  From  that  time  up  to  the  present  he  has  been  bringing 
up  blood  at  intervals  ;  so  that  I  have  no  doubt  that  either  his 
stomach,  or  the  adjacent  part  of  the  oesophagus,  was  then 
wounded.  He  rode  on  from  6  a.m.  till  11  a.m.,  but  was  so 
Mcak  that  I  was  obliged  to  get  the  men  to  hold  him  on  by 
turns.  Thoy  were,  however,  soon  tired  of  this  task.  j\[assoudi, 
and  other  Zanzibaris,  who  had  been  helping  him,  thought  it 
quite  too  much  trouble  ;  so  they  dropped  him  on  the  ])ath  to 
die  or  be  killed  by  the  natives,  who  are  always  on  our  trail, 
pretty  much  like  sharks  in  the  wake  of  a  ship.  This  is  a 
further  instance  of  African  love  and  devotion.  When  the 
party  came  up  to  me  about  an  hour  after  they  had  disposed  of 
their   charge   in   this   way,   I   asked,   "Where   is   Fetteh?" 


18SS.]   MEETIXG  WITH  EMIN  FASIIA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT   23T 

They  replied,  "  We  Lave  left  him  on  the  path,  as  he  was  not 
able  to  ride  the  donkey."  I  abused  them  pretty  freely,  and 
sent  them  back  with  the  cow-hide  conveyance,  to  bring  him  up' 
on  our  way  to  the  forest ;  which  we  reached  at  10.30  a.m. 

On  the  march  we  encountered  a  nest  of  hornets,  whose  stings 
drove  our  poor  cows  actually  mad ;  one  of  them  was  lost,  as  she 
ran  away  so  far  that  we  (;ould  not  follow  her,  through  the  bush.. 

June  4. — We  used  two  canoes  to  convey  the  expedition 
across  the  Ituri  river,  and  the  proceeding  occupied  four  and  a 
half  hours.  As  the  cows  were  being  driven  across  a  large 
crocodile  appeared,  and  made  for  our  cattle,  holding  its  head 
above  the  Avater,  with  its  mouth  widely  open,  to  seize  a  cow  or 
a  donkey.  Mr.  Stanley  fired  at  the  marauder,  and  I  believe 
hit  it,  for  it  immediately  disappeared  and  troubled  us  no  more. 
We  encamped  at  the  village  where  we  had  formerly  stayed,  at 
the  foot  of  the  Mande  hill,  from  which  I  had  first  seen  the- 
plains. 

June  5. — We  marched  early,  and  halted  for  the  night  at  a 
small  village,  where  we  had  taken  luncheon  on  our  way  to  the 
Albert  Nyanza.  The  men  got  plenty  of  bananas,  and  laid  in? 
a  stock  of  them  sufficient  to  last  for  three  days.  This  was 
very  necessary,  as  we  knew,  from  our  previous  exj)erience,  tliat 
there  are  none  to  be  got  after  leaving  this  place  till  we  get  to 
Fort  Bodo. 

We  are  obliged  to  carry  Fetteh  every  day,  as  the  poor 
fellow  is  very  weak.  The  danger  of  the  Mahdis  deserting  is 
now  diminishing,  as  we  are  getting  deep  into  the  forest. 

June  6. — AVe  marched  early,  and  encamped  in  the  forest. 
The  sheep  will  live  in  the  forest,  as  they  seem  to  like  the 
leaves.     Seven  or  eight  arrows  Avere  let  fly  at  us  from  the  bush. 

One  of  the  arrows  that  had  been  shot  at  us  hit  my  chair,, 
which  my  boy  Amani  was  carrying  on  his  shoulder,  and 
it  just  saved  him  from  a  bad  wound  in  the  neck  ;  of  course  he- 
chucked  away  the  chair  and  ran,  but  we  recovered  it  again. 

June  7. — We  started  early,  and  made  along  march  ;  halting 
for  the  night  at  the  site  of  an  old  camp. 

June  8. — We  marched  at  daybreak.  Fetteh  was  carried, 
as  he  is  very  weak.  Ali  Jimba,  who  was  suffering  from  fever, 
fell  out  on  the  road,  and  was  unable  to  proceed,  so  I  had  him 
set  on  my  donkey,  which  he  rode  to  camp.  One  of  the  sheep 
was  so  weak  that  it  had  to  be  killed ;  also  a  cow  fell  down  ou. 


'238  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

the  march,  and  couhl  not  be  driven  on  ;  so  it  had  to  be  killed 
too.     The  dead  sheep  and  a  goat  were  carried  to  camp. 

We  arrived  at  Fort  ]3odo,  where  we  found  Stairs  and  Nelson 
both  looking-  "  fit."  The  former  had  brought  back  fourteen 
men  from  Ugarrowwa's  camp.  Out  of  a  total  of  fifty-six  that 
had  been  left  there  (forty-six  Zanzibaris,  five  Soudanese  and 
five  Somalis)  in  September  last,  twenty-six  had  died,  and 
thirty  had  left  with  Stairs :  of  these  ten  died  on  the  road, 
one  deserted,  one  was  left  in  the  Manyuema  camp — unable  to 
come  on,  one  had  gone  down  the  river  with  couriers,  and  three 
are  now  on  suffari  looking  for  food. 

June  9. — I  spent  the  day  tending  the  sick.  There  is  a  great 
deal  of  disease  in  the  camp :  many  are  suffering  from  fever, 
and  many  are  disabled  by  ulcers. 

June  10. — This  is  the  last  day  of  the  Eammadan.  This  is  a 
season  observed  by  all  devout  followers  of  the  prophet  with 
the  most  punctilious  devotion  ;  it  was  sacred  among  devout 
Arabs  even  before  the  religion  of  Islam  itself  had  been  propoun- 
ded ;  it  was  at  this  season,  tliat,  when  he  retired  to  his  cave  for 
self-examination  and  converse  with  the  unseen  Creator, 
Mohammed  heard,  on  walking  forth,  the  shrubs  and  stones  of 
the  desert  address  him  as  the  "  Apostle  of  God."  Accordingly, 
the  sacredness  of  its  anniversary  to  all  true  believers  is  quite 
understandable. 

June  11. — Mr.  Stanley  fell  in  the  whole  force  to-day.  He 
distributed  to  each  man  six  heads  of  corn  per  day,  for  twenty- 
five  days ;  so  as  to  prepare  for  the  march  down  river  to  recover 
the  rear  column.  He  goes  by  himself,  leaving  Stairs,  Nelson, 
and  myself  here  to  remain  till  his  return.  Oh,  these  dreadful 
standing  camps  !  If  they  had  never  been  instituted  Africa 
would  not  be  at  all  such  a  bad  place  to*  while  away  the  time  in. 

June  12. — Mr.  Stanley  gave  me  a  tin  of  quinine  to-day. 
This  tin  I  had  originally  procured  from  the  doctor  at  Stanley 
Pool.  It  contained  about  thirteen  or  fourteen  bottles  of  quinine, 
each  holding  one  ounce.  He  told  me  to  take  five  bottles  and 
leave  the  rest  in  the  box,  which  he  brings  back  to  Yambuya 
for  the  use  of  the  officers  and  men  there.  He  has  taken  one  of 
my  boys,  Amani,  from  me,  as  he  can  carry  a  load,  and  tells  me 
to  get  a  sick  man  in  his  place.  219  rations  have  now  been 
issued  for  the  use  of  the  219  men  who  are  to  accompany  ]\Ir. 
Stanley   to  Yambuya.     This   number  includes   100  of  Emin 


1888.]   MEETING  WITH  EMIN  PASIIA  AT  LAKE  ALBERT.   239 

Paslia's  Mahdi  carriers.  I  suspect  it  will  take  our  leader  all  his 
time  to  get  work  enough  out  of  these  hopefuls  to  pay  for  even 
the  scanty  food  which  they  are  likely  to  be  provided  with 
■during  the  greater  part  of  their  journey  to  Yambuya  and  back. 

June  13. — Preparations  for  starting  for  Yambuya  still  con- 
tinue. 

June  14 — Mr,  Stanley  has  issued  written  orders  appointing 
Stairs  commandant,  Nelson  second  in  command,  and  myself 
in  medical  attendance  on  the  sick.  He  also  directs  us  that 
-when  Jephson  returns  here,  in  two  or  three  months,  we  are  all 
to  go  on,  and  remain  with  Emin  Pasha  till  his  return.  He  is 
leaving  fifty-seven  men  (invalids)  with  us  in  Fort  Bodo,  and 
about  sixty  rifles,  so  that  we  are  bound  to  have  a  pretty  slow 
time  of  it,  still  we  are  not  directly  overshadowed  by  the  ogress 
of  robbery,  starvation,  and  cannibalism,  as  we  were  during  our 
.stay  at  the  liorrible  den  at  Ipoto. 

June  15 — Nelson  was  to  have  gone  to  the  Manyuema  camp 
with  thirteen  men  to  fetch  the  boxes  left  tliere,  but  he  has  an 
inflamed  hand,  and  cannot  go  :  I  take  his  place. 


240  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [18SS.. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

LIFE   AT   FORT   BODO. 

I  accompany  Mr.  Stanley  to  Ipoto — The  Malidi  men  suffer  from  "  guinea- 
worms" — My  second  meeting  with  Kilonga  Longa — Mr.  Stanley  com- 
plains of  the  bad  treatment  of  our  Zanzibaris — We  hold  an  important 
shauri  with  the  chiefs  respecting;  Mr.  Stanley's  agreement — Shocking 
state  of  the  Manyuema  slaves — Final  arrangements  with  the  Manyuema 
— Mr.  Stanley's  entry  in  my  note-book  regarding  the  rear  column,  and; 
future  instructions — Incidents  of  tlie  return  journey  to  Fort  Bodo  with 
the  loads  frcun  Ipoto — Scarcity  of  food  at  Kilimani — Arrival  at  the  Fort 
— Nelson  and  myself  are  laid  up  with  fever — I  hold  a  post-mortem 
examination  on  tlie  body  of  Saadi  Baluzi,  who  had  previously  been 
wounded  by  a  poisoned  arrow — A  great  scare  in  the  Fort — Our  agri- 
cultural pursuits — Police  duty  in  the  plantations — Thefts  by  dwarfs- 
of  our  bananas — Villages  of  the  dwarfs — Their  cunning — Discontent 
and  insubordination  in  the  camp — Troublesome  ants — Destruction  and' 
theft  in  our  plantations  by  elephants — Nelson  and  Stairs  down  with 
fever — Natives  in  our  tobacco  plantation — Our  Zanzibaris  are  useless 
sentries — Food  getting  scarce — Terrible  sickness  in  the  cam}) — Filthy 
habits  of  the  Zanzibaris — The  circumcision  of  Kibovi — Destruction  of 
our  boots  and  clothes  by  rats — Our  men  laid  up  with  ulcers — Return, 
of  my  old  complaints,  erysipelas  and  African  lever — List  of  the  sick 
in  camp  with  their  respective  diseases — Our  Zanzibaris  are  great 
schemers  aud  malingerers — I  arrange  Nelson's  and  Stairs'  medicine- 
chests — Further  plundering  from  our  tobacco  plot' — My  boy  IMuftah  a. 
terrible  liar — I  am  laid  up  with  inflammation  of  the  lymphatics^ 
Death  of  Hanamri — We  kill  our  last  sheep — Anxiety  for  the  Pasha 
and  Jephson's  arrival — Eflects  of  a  violent  tornado — Death  of  Khamis 
Faragi — Zanzibar!  custom  regarding  their  sick. 

June  16.— Mr.  Stanley  and  I  left  the  Fort  about  G.30  this- 
morning.  I  go  on  as  far  as  the  Manyuema  camp  for  the  boxes,. 
as  Nelson  cannot  go  on  account  of  his  hand.  All  the  men 
looked  as  "  fit  "  as  they  could  be.  We  passed  a  camp  close  to- 
the  banana  plantation,  also  a  camp  formed  by  the  Wambutti 
— about  12  o'clock.  The  elephants  are  fast  eating  down  our 
bananas.  We  halted  for  the  night  about  4  p.m:.  I  often  think 
that  carrier  pigeons  Avould  have  been  very  useful  on  this 
expedition  :  with  their  aid  we  might  communicate  with  the  rear 
column  ;  and,  pcrhajjs,  save  this  return  journey  to  Yambuya. 

June  17 — Heavy  rain  fell  to-day.  Wo  passed  two  camps, 
also  several  clearings,  where  we  found  plenty  of  sweet  potatoes,. 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  2-11 

the  leaves  of  which  make  a  good  mboga.  We  arrived  at  Kiliinaui 
^boiit  5.30  P.M. ;  I  had  some  toasted  potatoes  for  dinner. 

Mr.  Stanley  told  me  to-day  that  his  great  anxiety  will  be 
about  us  at  the  Fort ;  and  expressed  his  hope  that  he  would 
iind  us  at  the  lake  on  his  return.  He  said  that  he  would  go 
to  Yambuya  for  the  rear  column,  but  would  go  no  farther 
— even  if  the  steamers  had  not  come  up — as  Bonny,  Troup, 
and  Ward  have  had  time  to  come  up  with  their  men  in  canoes. 
He  will  bring  the  ammunition  (twenty-four  boxes  of  Reming- 
ton), several  Winchesters  and  Maxims,  and  cross  Africa  with 
i:hem.  If  Emin  Pasha  says  that  he  cannot  go  as  there  is  too 
little  ammunition,  then  Mr.  Stanley's  crossing  will  go  a  long 
^way  to  prove  that  the  Pasha  could  have  got  out  if  he  tried. 

June  18. — We  stopped  all  day  at  Kilimani  for  bananas. 

June  19. — We  marched  to  a  village  where  I  left  Stairs  and 
the  boat.     We  got  a  few  bananas. 

On  returning  with  my  party  of  fourteen  men,  I  intend 
inarching  from  here  to  where  I  had  my  luncheon ;  then  one 
■short  march  to  Kilimani,  and  three  more  to  Ford  Bodo. 

June  20. — It  rained  very  heavily  last  night.  We  marched 
to  a  village  in  an  old  clearing  ;  and  camped  at  5  p.m.  We  were 
on  foot  all  the  time  from  the  start  in  the  morning,  as  we  made 
no  pause  for  luncheon.  I  buried  a  basket  of  corn  in  the  hut 
where  I  slept,  so  that  I  may  unearth  it  on  my  return — for  the 
use  of  the  improvident  Zanzibaris. 

June  21. — We  started  at  daybreak,  and  marched  till 
10.30  A.M. ;  through  a  clearing  which  lay  chiefly  through  bogs 
and  swamps.  We  camped  in  Mr.  Stanley's  former  resting- 
place.  I  am  very  sick  of  matemmah  porridge  three  times  a-day, 
and  am  hopefully  looking  forward  to  be  able  to  buy  some 
chickens,  rice,  beans,  and  tobacco  at  the  Manyuema  camp.  I 
asked  Mr.  Stanley  whether,  having  regard  to  the  future,  it 
would  be  foolish  to  refuse  a  present  from  the  Manyuema  chiefs 
who  had  treated  Nelson  and  myself  so  badly.  He  recommended 
me  to  take  whatever  they  gave. 

June  22. — We  marched  to  an  old  clearing,  within  three 
hours  of  the  IManyuema  camp.  Fortunately,  there  has  been  no 
rain  on  this  march,  as  I  have  no  tent  with  me.  I  have  to  sleep 
under  a  hut  erected  by  my  fourteen  men,  and  finished  within 
an  hour  after  my  arrival  in  camp.  One  of  the  Mahdi  men 
came  to  me  having  a  white  worm,  forty  inches  long,  protruding 

R 


242  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL    AFRICA.  [1888, 

from  the  skin  of  tlie  dorsum  of  liis  thumb.  I  twisted  it  on  a 
slender  rounded  piece  of  stick  ;  and,  by  using  gentle  traction  in, 
this  way,  got  out  two  feet  more  :  it  then  broke.  This  was  a 
"guinea  worm,"  Draennculus  (velflaria)  medinensis,  and  is 
very  common  among  the  Mahdi  men.  When  examined  in  its 
place  under  the  skin,  it  feels  like  a  hard  round  cord.  Its  first 
aj^pearance  is  like  that  of  a  small  boil,  but  somewhat  flatter^ 
and  more  livid  in  colour  [the  colour  was,  however,  influenced 
by  that  of  the  skin  of  the  individual  in  all  the  cases  I  have 
seen  ;  they  were  all  of  the  Mahdi  trilie  only]  ;  when  the  tumour 
has  developed,  the  concentric,  cord-like  coil  of  the  parasite  can 
be  felt  through  the  skin.  If  left  alone,  a  bulla  or  abscess 
eventually  forms  and  bursts ;  the  skin  ulcerates,  and  the  parasite 
is  discharged.  The  process  is,  however,  an  exceedingly  slow  one,. 
and  the  affected  individual  suffers  long  from  pain  and  fever. 

June  23. — A  bright  full  moon  hist  night !  We  started  at 
G.30  A.M.,  and  arrived  at  the  Manyuema  camp  at  11  a.m.  Mr.. 
Stanley  had  already  arrived,  and  was  sitting  on  the  barazan  of 
Kilonga  Longa's  hut :  some  chiefs  were  squatting  around.  On; 
my  appearance,  all  the  black  men  got  up  and  came  forward  to 
meet  me,  and  made  their  salaams.  Kilonga  Longa  asked  me 
if  I  was  ill ;  this,  I  knew  by  his  subsequent  conversation,  was  to- 
introduce  a  contrast  between  my  present  appearance  and  what 
it  had  been  when  I  left  his  camp.  He  said  that  I  was  fat  and 
Avell  then  !  He  presented  two  milch  goats  and  two  kids  to  3Ir. 
Stanley  ;  also  twenty  cups  of  rice,  and  a  large  basket  of  the  grain 
with  the  husk  still  on.  [Some  of  this  rice  I  brought  with  me 
to  Fort  Bodo  to  plant  there.]  Kilonga  Longa  also  sent  a. 
large  basket  of  rice,  with  the  husk  on,  for  myself.  I  gave  him 
some  tobacco  as  a  present. 

In  the  afternoon,  Mr.  Stanley  abused  the  Manyuema  i)retty 
strongly  for — as  he  directly  put  it — killing  our  poor  Zanzibaris, 
Kilonga  Longa  came  up  to  him  after  the  discussion  of  this< 
subject  had  terminated,  and  implored  him  not  to  tell  the  Sultan 
of  Zanzibar  of  the  cruelties  that  had  been  practised  on  the  men 
during  their  stay  with  them,  or  of  their  treatment  of  Nelson, 
and  myself. 

The  loads  were  all  handed  over  correctly  to  me  by  the 
Manyuema,  excepting  one  saddle ;  wliich  may  not,  however, 
have  been  handed  in,  althougli  I  had  left  it  at  my  tent  door, 
when  leaving  the  camp. 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  213 

June  24. — To-day  an  important  shauri  was  held  with  the 
Manyuema  chiefs  ;  an  endless  profusion  of  lying  was  therein 
displayed.  Ismailia  had  the  brazen  audacity  to  assert  that  he 
gave  us  food  every  day :  also  that  he  gave  food  to  the  men. 
Our  men  were  then  called,  and  denied  these  statements  in  the 
strongest  terms.  Ismailia  even  carried  his  testimony  further^ 
and  affirmed  that  I  had  hilled  a  Zanzibari  named  Mabrulci :  he 
also  persisted  in  asserting  that  he  had  given  us  food  every  day. 
I  said  "  every  ten  days."  Ismailia  said  that  he  had  given  us 
all  necessary  food,  and  that  it  was  all  Indite  (gratuitous)  on  his 
part,  as  he  did  not  make  the  agreement. 

Khamisi  and  Sangarameni  were  away  on  suffari,  so  that  they 
had  no  part  in  this  shauri. 

I  gave  my  men  each  a  rifle,  and  eleven  rounds  of  ammunition  ; 
and  started  on  my  return  journey  to  Fort  Bodo  at  3  p.m.,  with 
the  loads  which  had  been  left  at  the  Manyuema  camp  :  forty- 
eight  rifles,  cue  bag,  one  box,  one  portmanteau,  one  saddle,  one 
tent  (with  poles),  a  Maxim  shield,  one  box  of  Kemington 
ammunition,  one  box  of  rice ;  a  female  dwarf,  whose  freedom  I 
had  purcliased  for  a  handful  of  beans,  twelve  cups  of  rice,  and 
six  cups  of  corn,  now  became  my  valet.  I  had  no  one  else  to 
carry  my  food ;  as  I  was  obliged  to  take  an  extra  box  which 
Miiftah  had  to  carry,  so  that  we  were  all  loaded. 

The  Manyuema  slaves  look  starved  and  are  covered  with 
ulcers,  forming  a  deplorable  spectacle.  These  ulcers  appear  to 
be  contagious,  as  they  spread  rapidly  among  the  men.  They 
tend  to  penetrate  through  the  soft  parts  down  to  the  bone  ;  and, 
when  they  come  to  involve  the  periosteum,  the  bone  always- 
dies,  and  undergoes  a  process  of  exfoliation. 

The  presence  of  the  enormous  profusion  of  dead  and  dying 
vegetable  matter  appears  to  have  a  specially  pernicious  effect 
on  the  progress  of  these  ulcers,  and  seemed,  indeed,  to  be  the 
prime  factor  in  the  genesis  of  the  epidemic  of  them  that  we 
have  had  to  deal  with  in  our  forest  life.  All  the  men  belonging 
to  us  who  had  been  left  behind  at  the  Manyuema  camp  have 
died  (except  Sherif) ;  their  names  were  Kmaroni,  Feruzi, 
and  Dualla.  Kilonga  Longa  produced  a  receipt  from  Stairs, 
containing  the  statement  that  Nelson,  and  myself  had  sold 
eight  rifles  for  food. 

Kilonga  Longa  returned  thirteen  rifles  to  Mr.  Stanley,  two 
were  handed  back  to  him,  as  Stairs  had  already  presented  them 


244,  EXFEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888 

to  Kilonga  Longa.  Mr.  Stanley  brings  the  others  with  him,  as 
there  are  120  of  the  rear-column  unarmed. 

June  25. — I  marched  through  two  boat  camps ;  and 
stopped  about  twelve  o'clock,  in  the  third  boat  camp.  Mr. 
Stanley's  last  camp  was  passed  at  eleven  o'clock. 

Mr.  Stanley  got  back  his  valuable  watch  and  chain  from  the 
Manyuema  chiefs,  and  arranged  to  settle  his  account  with  them 
for  sixty  doti  of  cloth  (inferior  calico)  in  payment  of  the 
services  rendered  in  fetching  the  boxes  from  Nelson's  starvation 
camp,  and  for  giving  guides  for  fifteen  camps  ahead;  also 
thirty  doti  for  {not)  feeding  Nelson  and  myself,  with  our 
Zanzibaris.  This  payment  of  ninety  doti  was  formally  accepted, 
instead  of  the  two  and  a  half  bales  which  had  been  originally 
agreed  to. 

Before  parting  from  me  to  go  towards  Yambuya  in  search  of 
Barttelot,  Mr.  Stanley  made  the  following  entry  in  my  note-book 
—dated,  24th  June  1888  :— 

Memoranda. 

1st.  Supposing  that  the  steamer  Stanley  was  fortunate  in  her  voyage, 
she  will  have  reached  Yambuya  about  the  middle  of  August  1887;  and,  say 
ten  days  later,  the  Major  has  begun  to  transj^ort  goods  to  Yaukonde,  the 
next  settlement ;  in  twelve  days  lie  will  have  finished  the  transport.  If  he 
has  advanced  all  along  the  road  at  this  rate,  he  will  have  reached  by  1st  of 
September,  1888,  Mugwye's.  If  he  has  taken  sixteen  days  to  make  oue  of  our 
camps,  then  he  has  made  twenty-two  carnps,  and  has  reached  the  jjlace  where 
Abdullah,  the  Nubian,  left  his  rifle,  and  Stairs,  who  was  on  rear-guard, 
picked  it  up.  It  is  probable  that  about  that  place  I  will  find  him,  supposing 
the  steamer  Stanley  fortunate. 

2nd.  Supposing  the  Stanley  unfortunate  and  wrecked,  and  say  three 
months  transpired  before  other  steamers  were  procured,  then  up  to  1st  Sep- 
tember will  be  nine  months,  and  he  has  made  two  of  our  camps  per  month, 
and  we  may  find  the  Major  at  abotit  the  first  cluster  of  large  villages  we  met. 

3rd.  Supposing  six  months  transitircd  before  the  goods  were  brought  \\\^  to 
the  ]\Iajor,  then  we  may  lind  liim  about  ten  or  twelve  camps  above  Yambuysi, 
which  would  be  about  our  third  canip  after  reaching  the  river,  and  where  the 
"  Ilemingtons"  were  cleaned  up. 

4th.  Supposing  that  up  to  date  he  still  awaits  his  goods ;  whj-,  then,  we 
will  find  him  at  Yambiiya  itself  unable  to  move,  because  128  men  under 
Ward  and  Bonny,  and  the  goods  under  Troup,  have  not  yet  arrived.  In  this 
case  the  position  is  serious;  but  remediable  provided  the  Major  has  not 
diminished  his  force  by  search  of  aid.  If  the  Major  has  40  Nubians. 
5  Somalis,  and  say  60  Zanzibaris,  we  liave  100  men  added  to  our  force  of 
111  Zanzibaris  with  me  and  50  with  you  at  "  Fort  Bodo,"  total  201 — quite 
sufficient,  if  well  armed,  to  drive  through  to  Zanzibar  unaided  by  anyone. 
The  goods  left  at  Yambuya  under  the  IMajor's  care  were : — 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  245 

Stanley's  general  baggage. 

Provisions,  European. 
,      Eemington  cartridges. 

Winchester         „ 
Maxim  „ 

Brass  rods. 
.      'i'obacco. 

Cowries. 

Officers'  baggage. 

152  loads. 

Pace,  biscuits,  salt,  &c.,  S:c. 

To  carry  wliicli  we  hope  to  have  220  carriers  on  arriving  there. 
As  regards  Remington  ammunition,  then,  we  shall  have;  if  the  fourth 
proposition  is  the  reality — 


12 

loads 

24 

„ 

24 

„ 

38 

55 

22 

15 

1  load 

1 

„ 

15 

loads 

31  boxes  . 

.     Piemingtons  delivered  to  Emin  Pasha. 

22 

at  Fort  Bodo. 

"5     " 

„           with  me. 

20     .,        . 

„           at  Yambuya. 

11  (?)  boxes       . 

„           buried  at  Nelson's  camp. 

89  boxes — total  of  Piemingtons. 

2     „        ,  .  .  Winchesters  with  the  Pasha. 

4     „        .  .  .  „  at  Fort  Bodo. 

1  box       ...  „  with  me. 

38  boxes  ...  ,,  at  Yambuya. 

7     „        .  .  .  Maxims  at  Fort  Bodo. 

22     „        .  .  .  „        at  Yambuya. 

163  boxes  of  cartridges. 


This  ammunition  is  enough  for  all  purposes  of  bringing  away  Emia 
Pasha,  if  this  supply  is  our  sole  reliance. 

Thus  far  I  have  resolved  that  if  the  Major  has  been  left  at  Yambuya  all 
this  time  without  aid  from  Stanley  Pool :  to  bring  him  away,  his  men 
and  goods,  and  do  without  Troup,  Ward,  Bonny,  and  their  128  men,  though 
it  will  be  a  huge  misfortune  not  to  have  cloth  and  beads.  But  in  case  of  this 
last  and  final  proiwsition  being  correct,  it  is  our  only  resource  if  we  wish  to 
leave  Africa  at  all.  To  go  down  to  Stanley  Pool  is  totally  out  of  the 
ipestion. 

H,  M.  Stanley. 

jST.B. — Lest  there  be  no  more  ammunition  "Piemingtons"  than  those 
boxes  left  by  me  at  Yambuya  (twenty-four),  it  behoves  us  to  be  most  careful 
not  to  waste  any  shots  by  salutes  or  firing  at  targets,  fowls,  goats,  &c.,  &c. 
Considering  the  long  silence  of  our  twenty  carriers  it  is  well  to  prepare  ourselves 
for  the  last  and  darkest  condition  of  things.  I  have  done  so,  and  show  you 
what  may  be  done  by  us  if  such  turns  out  to  be  a  reality.  At  the  same  time 
we  hope  intensely  that  things  are  not  quite  so  bad  as  all  that.  Go  on 
planting  corn,  the  rains  have  well  begun.  We  send  you  some  rice  also  for 
planting.  Plant,  sow,  and  plant,  as  though  you  were  guing  to  make  a  long 
stay  at  Fort  Bodo.  If  Jephson  comes,  well,  you  can  go  along  with  him.  If 
Jepbson  does  not  turn  up,  you  have  abundance  of  food  lor  yourselves. 


246  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AERICA.  [1888. 

Let  us  all  each  one  do  his  duty  in  the  best  possible  manner,  heailil}-  and 
hopefully,  you  at  Fort  Bodo  with  your  garrison,  1  with  my  people,  and  things 
will  coine  right  in  the  end. 

Hexrt  M.  Stanley. 
To— 

Lieut.  Stairs,  Captain  Nelson  and  Dr.  Parke,  &c.,  &c. 

June  20. — We  marched  a  few  hundred  yards  beyond  the 
next  boat  camp,  and  camped  at  noon  at  the  verge  of  a  banana 
plantation ;  so  as  to  give  the  men  an  opportunity  of  obtaining 
a  supply  of  food.  The  men  called  this  camp  Longoli.  AVe 
got  no  food,  however,  but  had  a  shindy  with  the  natives. 

June  27. — We  passed  Mr.  Stanley's  second  last  camp,  where 
Wadi  Osman  lost  his  way.  At  11  o'clock  we  halted  for  terekeso 
(luncheon) ;  camped  at  2  p.m.,  at  an  old  boat  camp.  Khaniis, 
who  is  carrying  the  Maxim  shield,  did  not  come  up  when  the 
others  had  gathered  into  camp ;  so  I  sent  Ildi,  Khamis  Nasibo 
and  Sudi  back  for  him.  They  returned  without  him,  in  three 
hours ;  they  said  they  had  been  to  the  place  where  we  had 
had  our  terekeso  (one  and  a  half  hour's  walk),  and  stopped 
there  and  shouted  as  loudly  as  they  could,  but  got  no  answer, 
and  saw  nobody.  x\s  I  did  not  believe  their  story,  I  ordered 
them  back  again  to  find  Khamis ;  they  went  off  in  very  bad 
humour ! 

June  28. — The  three  men,  whom  I  sent  off  last  evening  to 
search  for  Khamis,  did  not  return  during  the  night ;  so  I  went 
with  two  men,  early  in  the  morning,  to  search  for  him  and 
them.  After  half  an  hour's  walk,  I  saw  the  three  whom 
I  had  sent  out  coming  strolling  towards  me.  When  I  met 
them  they  told  me  a  long  story  about  having  followed 
Washenzi  while  on  the  search  for  Khamis,  and  having  failed  to 
find  him.  I  then  brought  on  all  five  men  with  me,  and,  after 
l)assing  Mr.  Stanley's  old  camp,  I  eame  upon  Khaniis,  who 
was  sitting  with  an  Mshenzi  before  a  fire.  It  turned  out  that 
he  had  spontaneously  gone  on  an  expedition  by  himself,  and 
I'ailed  to  get  back.  He  was  thoroughly  exhausted,  so  I  was 
obliged  to  have  himself  and  the  shield  carried  to  the  camp — 
another  illustration  of  African  reliability. 

We  are  very  badly  off  for  food,  having  now  found  none  fur 
the  last  four  days,  I  hope,  however,  to  find  the  supply  of  corn, 
which  I  interred  in  the  floor  of  one  of  the  huts,  when  we  were 
on  our  way  back  to  the  Manyucma  camp. 

June  29.— AVe  left  early,  and  marched  on  to  Mr.  Stanley's 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  247 

third  last  camp,  where  I  found  the  buried  corn  which  I  had 
left  there  as  a  precaution.  So  I  was  able  to  give  two  cups  of 
corn  to  each  man ;  and  three  each  to  my  boy,  and  Monbuttu 
■"  dwarf" 

We  halted  at  2.30  p.m.,  and  camped  for  the  night. 

June  30. — Marched  early,  and  halted,  where  I  left  Stairs 
with  the  boat.  Khamis  again  broke  down,  and  I  was  obliged 
to  have  his  load  of  three  rifles  carried  for  him.  I  was  in  the 
rear,  so  I  sent  on  word  to  Wadi  Osman  my  chief,  to  stop  and 
take  the  rifles,  as  two  of  the  three  belonged  to  his  men.  But 
the  wretch  paid  no  attention,  and  went  on — a  good  specimen 
of  Zanzibari  discipline.  So  I  had  to  carry  the  rifles  myself; 
<ind,  on  reaching  camp,  I  used  some  gentle  remonstrance  with 
Wadi  Osman  with  my  fist,  after  which  he  became  very 
submissive,  and  would  do  whatever  I  asked  without  a  murmur 
■of  dissent. 

July  1. — We  marched  from  Mabanti  to  a  banana  plantation  ; 
■where  the  men  were  gratified  by  getting  a  plentiful  supply  of 
Indian  corn.  Khamis  did  not  arrive  at  camp  lust  night,  so  I  sent 
•out  two  men  to  search  for  him,  but  they  returned  after  a  couple 
of  hours,  saying  that  they  had  searched  everywhere  along  the 
path,  and  could  not  find  him.  This  account  I  did  not,  how- 
•ever,  believe,  as  they  were  very  reluctant  and  timid  about 
45oing.  If  they  had  retraced  ©ur  line  of  march  for  half  an 
hour,  I  believe  that  they  would  have  found  him — dead  or 
alive. 

All  my  men  are  now  confirmed  goee-goees  (too  lazy  to  do  any- 
thing), and  tvagoiijiva  (sickly). 

July  2. — Khamis  did  not  turn  up,  so  that  I  think  he  must 
-have  died ;  the  poor  creature  had  been  wasted  to  a  mere  skeleton. 
We  inarched  three  and  a  half  hours— to  Kilimani — to-day. 
All  my  loads  are  still  correct,  although  my  twelve  carriers  are 
perfect  goee-goees,  and  the  two  Mahdis  have  a  guinea-worm 
■each.  The  Monbuttu  (dwarf)  woman  is  worth  any  four  of  my 
men  now. 

We  remained  all  day  at  Kilimani.  Only  a  few  men  went  to 
search  for  food,  although  I  told  them  all  to  make  what  provi- 
sion they  could  for  marching  on  to-morrow.  But  they  have  no 
forethought — none  :  the  observation  that  the  black  man  at  any 
^ge  is  still  but  a  grown-up  child  is,  in  my  experience,  critically 
-accurate ;  and,  although  an  interesting  fact  to  the  psychologist 


248  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888, 

and  the  ethnologist,  is  a  most  provoking  peculiarity  to  have  it 
to  deal  with  under  circumstances  like  the  present. 

July  3. — I  made  an  early  start,  as  I  intended  to  march. 
Avithout  delay.  When  I  gave  the  order  to  fall  in,  there  was  a 
general  muttering  grumble  from  every  one  of  the  huts ;  the 
men  said  that  they  were  not  able  to  start  to-day,  so  I  was 
obliged  to  postpone  the  advance  till  to-morrow.  This  was  the 
result  of  their  not  having  gone  for  food  yesterday,  as  I  had 
wished  them  to  do  ;  considerably  less  than  half  the  number  had 
made  the  smallest  effort  to  procure  anything  for  themselves. 
Accordingly  I  told  off  a  party  to  fetch  bananas,  which  were 
to  be  found  in  plenty  at  a  distance  of  not  more  than  a  few 
hundred  yards;  but  as  soon  as  my  back  was  turned  they 
sneaked  into  their  huts  again!  I ivas  r/reathj jprovoJced,  and  I 
often  think  they  are  not  worth  keeping  at  all. 

My  Monbuttu  woman  amused  herself  this  morning  by 
picking  insects  off  a  child's  head,  and  eating  them — just  as  a 
monkey  would  do. 

At  5  P.M.  Baluzi  returned  to  camp,  having  received  a  very- 
bad  penetrating  arrow-wound  of  the  back  (on  the  right  side). 
The  point  had  obviously  passed  dee]3  into  the  substance  of  the- 
right  lung.  The  men  who  were  with  him  say  that  they 
removed  the  arrow-shaft,  but  that  it  had  broken  short  at  the 
head,  so  that  the  barbed  iron  point  is  embedded  in  the  lung. 
It  is  quite  out  of  reach  of  extraction  without  having  recourse 
to  unjustifiable  measures.  He  is  a  half-witted  creature,  and 
had  lingered  behind  the  others  on  the  way.  The  natives  were 
crouching  along  the  path ;  and  utilised  the  oj)portunity  of 
letting  fly  at  him,  when  they  saw  him  separated  from  his 
comrades. 

The  men  got  plenty  of  bananas  and  corn  to-day,  when  I  had 
again  driven  them  out  to  procure  them — very  much  against 
their  lazy  will,  apparently.  I  started  early  with  all  the  loads.. 
My  Monbuttu  and  all  my  men  were  well  weighted.  My  boy 
and  myself  carried  a  load  of  rifles  each  ;  I  carried  Saadi 
Baluzi'a  load,  as  he  is  very  weak.  At  2  r.M.  some  natives 
attacked  us  on  the  path,  and  wo  had  an  exciting  chase  after 
them.  We  camped  at  2.30  p.m.  close  to  a  tongoni,  i.e.  a 
clearing,  wliere  there  are  plenty  of  sweet  potatoes.  Saadi 
Baluzi  is  no  worse.  The  poor  fellow  was  able  to  walk  toler- 
ably well,  although  he  suffered  a  good  deal  from  dyspnoea :. 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  249 

his  respiration — ^Yitll  a  wounded  pleura  and  lung — is  necessarily 
shallow,  and  accompanied  by  a  good  deal  of  distress. 

JtJLY  4. — My  pigmy  comes  from  this  district. 

July  5. — We  marched  early,  and  reached  a  pigmy  camp, 
close  to  the  position  of  my  old  camp,  which  I  had  used  when 
coming  from  Ipoto  with  Stairs'  relief  party. 

July  6. — We  reached  Fort  Bodo  about  noon,  with  twelve 
Zanzibari  and  two  Malidi  porters — the  latter  very  sick,  the 
former  not  much  stronger — also  my  boy,  and  Monbuttu 
woman.  The  fourteen  loads  were  brought  in — all  correct.  I 
found  Stairs  and  Nelson  very  "  fit."  They  said  that  I  looked 
pale  and  worn,  &c.,  but  this  was  merely  due  to  the  exertion  of 
carrying,  and  lifting  of  the  loads  on  to  the  men's  heads,  which 
was  very  fatiguing  work.  I  handed  all  my  stores  over  to  Stairs, 
feeling  glad  to  be  relieved  of  the  responsibility,  and  so  far 
satisfied  that  this  small  section  of  my  work  has  been  com- 
pleted. 

July  7. — My  agricultural  experiments  are  succeeding  well 
here.  The  seeds  (brought  from  Emin  Pasha)  which  were  sown 
here  are  coming  up,  and  doing  prosperously.  The  rice  which 
I  received  from  Kilonga  Longa  will  now  be  planted  in  a  few 
days. 

There  was  very  heavy  rain  last  night,  and  the  room  I  sleej) 
in  is  deluged  with  water ;  the  rain  came  through  in  streams 
last  night,  as  the  roof  has  little  or  no  pitch. 

July  8. — I  am  indulging  this  evening  in  a  somewhat  gloomy 
retrospect.  Twenty-nine  men  had  been  left  with  me  originally 
at  the  Manyuema  camp,  and  Dualla  (a  Somali)  was  afterwards 
left  by  Stairs,  making  a  total  of  thirty.  Of  this  number  exactly 
half  have  now  died.  Piringani  managed  to  reach  Fort  Bodo, 
with  seven  skeletons,  and  but  one  rifle  among  them.  Nelson 
and  myself  remained  in  bed  all  to-day  ;  we  had  both  been 
attacked  with  bad  fever.  Providence  does  not  appear  to  intend 
that  any  nook  of  Africa  should  afford  us  a  haven  of  rest ; 
alternate  drenching  by  riiin  and  combustion  by  fever  fill  up 
our  present  programme. 

July  9. — My  fever  is  somewhat  better  to-day,  but  I  am  not 
able  to  do  much. 

July  10-14. — Stairs  has  done  much  to  improve  the  fort, 
and  farming  at  the  settlement  has  been  so  far  successful. 

July  15. — Saadi  Baluzi,  who  had  been  wounded  at  Kilimani, 


:250  EXPEIUENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

died  last  iiigbt.  I  made  a  post-mortem  to-day.  I  found  that 
the  head  of  the  arrow  had  grazed  the  base  of  the  right  lung  on 
penetrating  the  chest ;  and  had  then  lodged  in  the  diaphragm, 
close  to  the  edge  of  the  cordiform  tendon,  through  which  the 
point  had  passed.  The  right  lung  was  completely  collapsed, 
and  the  jdeural  cavity  entirely  filled  with  a  reddish  fluid,  a 
considerable  proportion  of  which  was  clotted ;  the  remainder 
was  fluid.  This  large  collection  of  fluid  was,  of  course,  partly 
due  to  the  hai'mothorax,  which  resulted  immediately  on  the 
occurrence  of  the  penetrating  wound,  and  partly  due  to  the 
serous  effusion  which  resulted  from  the  necessary  complication 
•of  pleuritis.  Seeing  this  state  of  things,  I  had,  of  course, 
the  melancholy  comfort  that  nothing  which  I  could  have  done 
for  him  would  have  saved  him  :  for  an  operation  to  remove  that 
Arrow-head  would  simply  have  freely  laid  open  the  depths  of 
both  thoracic  and  abdominal  cavities,  and  would  in  itself  have 
been  necessarily  fatal.  The  wonder  was  that  the  poor  man 
had  been  able  to  live  (and  even  to  march  with  the  rest)  for 
■eleven  days.  He  had,  of  course,  suffered  greatly  from  dyspnoea, 
but  the  inflammatory  fever  which  followed  the  wound  had 
never  been  very  high.  This  is  explained  by  the  fact  that 
there  was  little  appreciable  evidence  of  inflammation  of  any 
other  organ  or  structure  than  the  pleura,  and  the  pyrexia  of 
serous  inflammations  is  characteristically  moderate.  There 
was  hardly  any  pneumonia,  the  occurrence  of  which  would, 
of  course,  have  produced  a  much  higher  temperature ;  but  the 
lung  substance  was  very  little  torn. 

There  was  a  great  scare  in  the  Fort  at  11.30  a.m.  :  two  shots 
•were  fired  in  quick  succession  close  by,  and  a  number  of  wild 
•natives  -were  shouting  fiercely  in  the  bush  around  the  Fort. 
At  this  time  all  our  men  were  away  getting  bananas,  with  the 
oxcej^tion  of  five  or  six  of  the  most  emaciated  of  our  skeletons, 
who  were  not  able  even  to  crawl  about.  The  Fort  is  always 
deserted  on  Sundays,  as  we  give  the  men  a  holiday  on  the" 
Sabbath.  This  fact  led  us  to  believe  that  the  savages,  having 
probably  ascertained  our  uni)re])arcd  situation,  had  planned  an 
attack  upon  us,  while  having  nobody  but  our  boys  and  a  few 
sick  men  about  the  i)lace.  The  alarm,  however,  soon  subsided, 
as  the  noise  suddenly  stopped.  Half  an  liour  afterwards  one 
of  our  men  returned,  and  told  us  that  he  had  shot  at  natives, 
.amongst   the   bananas,    but   had   missed    tJiem.      A   typical 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  251 

Zanzibar!  marksman  !  The  majority  of  these  people  are  really 
the  most  harmless  in  the  world  to  entrust  with  a  rifle. 

July  16-18.- — ^We  are  busily  engaged  in  our  agricultural 
pursuits,  rapidly  planting  our  crops,  as  the  rainy  season  began 
with  the  month  of  July.  There  are  two  rainy  seasons  here, 
the  first  in  February,  the  second  in  July ;  it  is  during  these 
seasons  that  grain  must  be  planted.  As  we  are  in  fairly  good 
time,  we  do  not  fear  that  our  crops  will  not  be  abundantly 
watered ;  we  have  only  to  hope  that  a  beneficent  Providence 
will  give  the  increase  accordingly. 

July  19. — I  went  on  ruga-ruga  (police  duty)  with  seven 
men  to-day,  to  scare  off  the  Washenzi,  and  prevent  them  from 
stealing  our  bananas,  as  they  have  been  systematically  doing. 
I  left  at  7  A.M.,  and  returned  at  4  p.m.,  having  been  on  foot  all 
the  time.  I  went  in  a  south-westerly  direction,  and  did  find 
some  dwarfs  stealing  bananas.  I  fired  some  shots,  and  scared 
them  away.  No  one,  however,  was  wounded,  as  they  were  all 
able  to  make  off  with  great  speed.  We  reached  a  pigmy 
village,  and  found  a  large  game  net,  about  fifty  yards  in 
length,  and  beautifully  woven.  The  meshes  are  of  about 
the  same  size  as  those  of  a  strong  fishing  net.  They  are 
made  of  bark  and  grass.  I  also  secured  several  quivers,  well 
filled  with  poisoned  arrows,  which  1  burned  there  and  then ; 
.also  a  number  of  bows  with  them.  When  I  saw  that  the 
village  upon  which  we  came  was  of  considerable  extent — or, 
rather,  that  it  was  the  first  of  a  long  chain  of  pigmy  villages — 
I  hastily  retraced  my  steps  with  my  men,  as  it  was  not  exactly 
a  desirable  neighbourhood  to  loiter  in — with  but  seven 
followers,  while  hundreds  of  cannibal  natives  prowled  about, 
armed  with  poisoned  arrows.  The  only  meat  1  found  was  a 
dried  monkey.  On  our  return  through  the  bush,  we  were 
-closely  followed  by  the  natives  ;  who  tried  to  get  in  front  of  our 
party,  and  cut  off  our  retreat.  They  wounded  one  of  my  men, 
Ali  Jumba,  with  an  arrow,  but  not  seriously.  At  the  entrance 
of  our  banana  plantation,  I  remained  behind  for  a  while  with 
two  of  my  men,  under  cover  of  two  large  trees  ;  and  waited  for 
the  natives  to  come  on,  but  they  were  too  wary  for  tliis,  and 
declined  to  avail  themselves  of  my  intentions.  They  would 
not  come  directly  forwards,  but  turned  in  among  the  bananas 
so  as  to  intercept  us  ;  but  we,  in  our  turn,  evaded  their  device, 
hj  taking  a  path  in  another  direction. 


252  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFIilCA.  [1888. 

This  police  worlc  is  absolutely  necessary  for  self-preser- 
vation, as  without  it  we  cannot  protect  our  banana  planta- 
tion till  Mr.  Stanley's  return.  It  is  excessively  dangerous 
work  too,  for  the  aborigines  suddenly  get  on  the  logs  whicli 
are  lying  about  everywhere  in  the  forest,  and  throw  a  poisoned 
arrow  into  one  with  the  speed  of  lightning.  If  such  a  weapon 
penetrate  at  all  deeply,  not  all  the  powers  of  man  can  save  the 
individual  who  has  been  hit.  All  our  men  now  wear  buffalo 
shields  which  we  have  brought  from  the  plain  ;  but  the  officers 
have  not  adopted  them  yet ;  as  we  are  vain  enough  to  think 
it  would  look  like  cowardice.  Yet  it  might  be  the  salvation 
of  any  of  us — any  day — to  utilise  this  protective  medium.  We- 
should  not,  I  am  disposed  to  think,  pay  so  much  attention 
here  to  what  Mrs.  Grundy  will  think  proper  to  say  at  home,  if 
we  are  ever  lucky  enough  to  get  there. 

These  dwarfs  are  very  cunning,  and  play  all  sorts  of  dodging- 
tricks  to  throw  us  off  their  path.  They  walk  for  some  distance 
along  a  beaten  track,  and  then  suddenly  disappear  into  the 
bush  ;  then  they  unite  again  at  considerable  distance  ahead,  and 
send  some  of  the  party  back  along  the  path  towards  us,  while 
the  main  body  go  on  towards  their  village,  thereby  trying  ta 
make  us  believe  by  their  footprints  that  they  are  going  in  th& 
opposite  direction,  and  that  we  are  running  heel  all  the  time. 

Very  heavy  rain  fell  after  our  return  from  the  ruga-ruga 
to-day.  We  ordered  Fathel  Wadi  Hadi,  who  had  caught  a 
woman,  to  fetch  her  to  us.  This  he  was,  obviously,  very 
reluctant  to  do  ;  he  temporised  by  saying  that  she  was  caught 
by  Ali  Jumba,  which  was,  of  course,  untrue.  So  we  told  him 
sharply  to  make  no  such  excuses,  but  bring  her  at  once.  He- 
was  very  slow  about  it,  nevertheless,  and  stayed  to  wring  his- 
clothes  (whicb  had  been  drenched  with  the  rain)  before  lie 
went.  This  proceeding  annoyed  Stairs  so  much  by  its  insub- 
ordinate display,  that  he  struck  him  across  the  right  shoulder 
with  my  stick.  The  stick  broke  in  this  operation,  and  the  iron 
spike  scratched  the  skin  of  Fathcl's  left  side.  The  men 
were  very  rebellious  about  this,  and  about  fifteen  of  them 
collected,  and  inquired  if  Stairs  had  really  prodded  him  with 
a  spear  or  not,  as  Fathel  had  told  them  so.  Stairs  then 
explained  to  them  that  he  had  not  struck  Fathel  deliberately 
at  all ;  that  he  had  merely  punished  him  for  his  insubordina- 
tion, and  that   the  wounding  by  the   iron   spike  was   quite 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FOBT  BODO.  253 

iiccidental.  Public  opinion  immediately  went  round  on 
hearing  this  version  of  the  affair,  and  they  all  vowed  that  if 
Fathel  Wadi  Hadi  did  not  openly  confess  that  he  had  been 
hit  with  a  stick,  and  not  ]3rodded  with  a  spear,  they  would  all 
beat  him  with  sticks  to-morrow  ! 

July  21. — Nelson  went  on  police  duty  to-day,  but  did  not  see 
any  natives  at  all.  After  work,  Stairs  called  the  men  in  to 
give  them  ten  heads  of  corn  each.  Sheban  Bin  Amur  stepped 
forward  to  pick  up  his  share,  when  Stairs  ordered  him  to  fall 
back  into  his  place.  Sheban  Bin  Amur  then  made  some 
mutinous  remark,  when  Stairs  immediately  struck  him.  He 
then  left  the  yard,  and  immediately  returned,  with  a  threaten- 
ing aspect,  and  carrying  a  large  stick.  He  went  on  to  say 
that  Stairs  had  purposely  struck  Fathel  Wadi  Hadi  with  a 
.spear.  Stairs  then  told  him  that  he  would  take  his  name  off 
the  book  forthwith.  The  men  afterwards  held  a  shauri  among 
themselves  ;  and  I  believe  that  about  thirty  of  them  are  very 
desirous  to  go  on  to  the  Albert  Nyanza.  I  recommended 
Stairs  to  give  the  men  a  hearing,  as  they  wished  to  have 
the  privilege  of  shauris  to  reason  out  matters  which  con- 
-cerned  them  so  much.  So  he  said  he  would  take  my  advice. 
He  has  a  very  responsible  and  anxious  post  as  commandant  of 
tke  Fort.  I  can  see  that  the  minds  of  the  men  are  pretty  hot 
.now,  and,  unless  they  are  judiciously  manipulated,  we  three 
white  men  will  be  left  to  ourselves  here  to  look  after  the  boxes, 
and  take  care  of  the  other  interests  of  the  Expedition. 

July  22. — A  good  deal  of  discontent  in  the  camp  still.  The 
one  great  reason  of  this  certainly  is  that  the  men  are  burning 
with  desire  to  go  back  to  the  plains,  where  they  know  that 
there  is  plenty  of  food  to  be  had. 

July  25. — Sheban  Bin  Amur  came  up  this  morning,  and 
begged  Stairs  to  pardon  him  for  the  men.  Wlien  he  was 
forgiven,  about  thirty  of  the  others  came  up,  and  fell  down 
before  Stairs.  This  represented  the  faction  which  had  been 
taking  counsel  to  desert  the  Fort,  and  go  off  to  the  lake. 
They  crouched  along  the  ground,  and  kissed  the  "  Master's  " 
boots  as  a  mark  of  penitence. 

We  are  anxiously  looking  forward  to  Sunday,  as  we  intend 
.killing  a  sheep;  an  event  which  will,  I  feel  sure,  tend  to 
promote  peace  and  contentment.  On  the  day  of  my  return 
■from  the  Manyuema  camp  there  were  two  goats  killed,  one  of 


254  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.  [1888- 

\vliicli  we  ate ;  the  other  we  gave  to  the  men.  We  have  three 
sheep  remaining,  which  will  give  ns  one  a  fortnight,  in  case- 
Jephson  comes  up  to  time. 

The  ants  are  the  most  annoying  enemy  we  have  to  deal  with 
here.  They  come  periodically,  and  take  possession  of  the  Fort, 
driving  ns  quite  out  of  doors.  The  natives  capture  them  in 
great  numbers,  by  making  a  hole  close  to  an  ant-heap,  and 
putting  a  little  fire  in  it  at  night ;  before  morning  this  hole 
will  be  filled  with  ants,  as  they  are  attracted  by  the  heat^ 
They  are  then  brought  to  camp,  pounded  up,  cooked,  and 
eaten,  tasting  somewhat  like  caviare.  The  food  so  prepared  is. 
called  noussoir.  The  most  palatable  variety  is  that  prepared, 
from  the  white  ants,  which  we  eat  as  a  hitawayo  (condiment).. 

July  2G— iVug.  3.—  .... 

Aug.  4. — Last  night,  a  very  large  elephant  came  up  to- 
within  twenty  yards  of  the  Fort,  and  ate  a  great  quantity  of 
our  young  Indian  corn,  which  we  had  been  congratulating  and 
priding  ourselves  on  having  cultivated  so  successfully.  Stairs- 
was  alarmed  by  the  sentry  on  duty,  who  was  aroused  by  the 
disturbance  caused  by  the  movements  of  the  unwieldy  tres- 
passer, and  fired  at  him  with  his  Kemington.  He  then 
moved  off  to  a  short  distance,  but  stopped  there,  and  com- 
menced to  browse  on  our  corn  again.  The  ivory  war-horn 
was  then  blown,  which  had  the  immediate  effect  of  causing  a 
retreat  into  the  depths  of  the  forest.  This  happened  about 
2  A.M.,  and  the  night  was  so  still  and  silent  that  we  could 
distinctly  hear  the  movements  of  the  colossal  brute  as  he 
passed  into  the  bush,  accompanied  by  the  uprooting  of  trees,, 
tearing  off  of  branches,  and  trampling  down  of  the  under- 
growth through  which  he  passed. 

These  elephants  have  now  commenced  tearing  down  trees,  and 
eating  up  our  bananas,  in  a  quite  systematic  way.  This  is  really 
serious  for  us,  as,  if  allowed  to  go  on  in  this  fashion,  we  will,, 
at  the  end  of  a  few  weeks,  have  neither  bananas  nor  corn  for 
the  men  to  eat,  and  there  is  little  chance  of  any  other  source  of 
supply.  So  great  a  source  of  anxiety  has  it  become,  that  our  one 
great  hope  now  is  of  the  relief,  which  we  are  hoping  and  pray- 
ing that  Jephson  and  Emin  Pasha  may  bring  us.  We  arranged 
Avith  them  on  the  shore  of  the  Nyanza  that  they  would  not 
]icglectusor  forsake  us  if  left  for  very  long  in  the  depths  of  the 
forest,  and  wo  do  trust  that  they  will  take  care  to  redeem  their  • 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FOBT  BODO.  255- 

promises  in  good  time.  We  have  already  recommenced  the 
life  of  grazing,  as  we  are  living  largely  on  fungi,  leaves  of  the- 
pepper  plant,  and  grasses.  These,  when  all  pounded  together, 
make  a  sort  of  spinach  {mhoga),  which  hunger  enables  us  ta 
taste  with  some  moderate  degree  of  enjoyment.  The  corn  is 
still  very  low;  but  we  shall  have  young  peas  and  French 
beans  to  exist  on  after  a  little,  if  we  can  keep  off  the  elephants 
and  other  trespassers. 

I  have  been  ailing  with  a  sore  finger  (paronychia)  since  the 
25th  ult.,  so  that  I  was  unable  to  write  in  this  interval. 

Aug.  5. — I  have  given  my  little  pigmy  carte  hlanclie  to  visit 
her  own  people,  but  she  will  not  leave. 

Aug.  G. — Nelson  has  been  very  ill  with  fever  for  the  last 
few  days.  Yesterday  I  gave  him  40  grains  of  quinine  ;  he  is 
somewhat  better  to-day.  I  shot  two  doves  yesterday,  which 
were  a  very  acceptable  addition  to  our  provision  store,  as  we 
have  no  meat  now  remaining  but  two  live  sheep,  and  we  can 
afford  to  kill  but  one  of  these  every  fourteen  days. 

Aug.  9. — At  1.30  a.m.  this  morning  Stairs  came  and  woke 
me  up  to  go  out  to  the  sentry-box,  and  listen  to  some  noise 
which  was  going  on  in  the  tobacco  plantation,  that  we  had. 
formed  at  a  distance  of  but  fifteen  yards  from  the  boma,. 
immediately  outside  the  stockade.  We  could  plainly  hear  the 
breaking  of  the  stalks  of  tobacco,  but  were  uncertain  as  to 
whether  some  natives  had  come  to  do  the  mischief,  or  perhaps 
some  roaming  quadrupeds  (antelope  or  elephant  would  be  the 
most  likely  of  these).  One  of  our  men  then  coughed,  and  all 
the  noise  instantly  ceased.  In  the  morning  we  investigated  the 
cause  of  the  nocturnal  disturbances,  and  found  the  footprints 
of  about  a  dozen  natives,  who  had  been  wrecking  our  little 
crop.  This  is  another  very  serious  omen  for  our  future  here, 
as  it  means  that  the  natives  will  come  and  take  our  corn  when 
it  is  ripe,  and  perhaps  set  fire  to  the  place. 

When  disturbed  last  night  we  visited  the  other  sentries 
around  the  fort,  and  found  them  all  asleep — the  usual  condition 
of  a  Zanzibari  wlien  placed  on  the  watch.  We  did  not  fire  a  shot 
last  night ;  we  suspected  that  the  trespasser  was  a  bush  antelope, 
and  we  did  not  want  to  fire  without  being  able  to  take  good 
aim,  as  we  are  very  ambitious  to  kill  one,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  food.  Food  is  growing  terribly  scanty  now ;  the 
men   are   living   on   wretchedly  small  bananas,  and  we  have 


25G  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 

nothing  for  ourselves  but  some  beans,  corn,  and  mboga.  (The 
term  mboga  includes  leaves  of  trees,  tops  of  bushes,  sweet 
potatoes,  yams,  potato  leaves  and  fungi,  all  mashed  up  together, 
so  as  to  form  a  mess  somewhat  like  spinach.)  We  are,  accord- 
ingly, beseeching  Providence  that  Emin  Pasha  and  Jephson 
will  soon  come  and  deliver  us. 

Having  now  had  to  speak  Kiswahili  for  so  long  a  time,  we 
have  come  to  forget  many  of  our  ordinary  English  words ;  and 
are  often  actually  confused  about  the  names  of  things  when 
we  are  talking  among  ourselves.  To-day  there  was  a  com- 
petition between  Nelson  and  myself,  as  to  who  could  remember 
the  name  "  q^^  "  first — pointing  at  the  well-known  article. 

Stairs  is  confined  to  bed  with  intermittent  fever.  I  have 
made  a  bird-cradle,  to  try  and  catch  some  birds  for  us  to  eat. 
It  is  almost  impossible  for  any  of  us  to  go  out  in  pursuit  of 
o-ame,  as  there  are  no  men  able  to  accompany  us  for  defence 
against  the  natives — they  are  nearly  all  disabled  by  enormous 
ulcers. 

Aug.  10.—  .... 

Aug.  11. — This  morning  there  were  twenty-five  badly  sick 
among  our  force  of  fifty-five.  Many  of  the  others  are  very 
weakly  indeed.  A  good  many  are  malingering  too;  the 
Zanzibaris  are  rather  good  at  this  kind  of  thing.  I  recom- 
mended Stairs  to  hoe  up  the  ground  around  the  huts,  and 
to  have  the  ash-pit  removed  further  from  the  camp,  as  it  is 
filling  up  fast ;  and,  above  all,  to  have  the  inside  of  each  hut 
thoroughly  cleaned  out  at  least  twice  a  week,  as  the  habits  of 
the  Zanzibaris  are  disgustingly  filthy.  They  scrape  holes 
in  the  floor  in  which  they  Avash  their  ulcers  ;  they  vomit  and 
expectorate  on  the  floor,  and  cover  the  ejecta  over  with  clay. 
I  am  occasionally  treated  to  the  sight  of  these  creatures  putting 
their  food  to  boil  in  the  pot  in  which  they  have  just  washed  their 
ulcers,  and  without  liaving  taken  the  trouble  of  washing  it  well- 
•out  afterwards,  &c.,  &c.  The  starting  point  of  these  ulcers  is 
undoubtedly  contagion  in  many  cases;  this  is  conveyed  by 
flies,  &c.,  and  any  parts  so  affected  (as  by  irritation  of  fly-bites, 
&c.)  immediately  becomes  the  centre  of  a  rapidly  spreading  ulcer. 

Surely,  the  sooner  we  get  away  from  this  place  the  better  ; 
food  is  getting  scarcer  and  scarcer,  and  whenever  the  wind 
blows  from  the  west  —  passing  over  a  swamp  which  is  near 
-our  camp  on  that  side — it  carries  the  fever  poison  in  among  us, 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FOBT  BODO.  257 

and  every  one  of  ns  gets  a  turn  of  the  "  intermittent."  I  liave 
but  one  boy  and  a  pigmy  to  look  after  me,  as  Mr.  Stanley  took  my 
second  boy  with  him  to  carry  a  load,  being  so  short  of  carriers. 

I  had  a  special  surgical  operation  imposed  upon  me  to-day — 
the  circumcision  of  Kibori  (Nelson's  boy),  who  required  this 
iinishing  touch  to  jDlace  him  on  a  par  with  the  Zanzibari  boys. 
The  institution  of  this  Oriental  operation  reaches  to  the  most  re- 
mote antiquity,  more  than  2400  years  before  the  Christian  era. 

Aug.  13. — The  peas  and  pumpkins  are  flowering,  so  that  we 
shall  soon  have  vegetables.  I  have  just  had  a  row  with  my 
boy,  Muftah  :  he  is  a  thoroughly  typical  Zanzibari — a  dirty, 
deceitful,  lying,  greedy  young  rascal  he  is,  when  he  likes. 

We  killed  a  sheep  yesterday,  so  that  we  are  all  strong  and 
in  good  humour  to-day,  having  had  the  chance  of  digesting 
some  good  wholesome  meat.  We  are  all  hugging  ourselves 
with  the  idea  that  Emin  Pasha  may  soon  send  for  us,  as  we 
have  but  very  low  rations  to  live  on  now.  Ten  heads  of  Indian 
corn,  ground  into  meal,  are  given  to  each  per  diem.  This  meal 
is  served  up  in  three  Avays  ;  when  of  very  thin  consistence  we  call 
it  "  soup,"  or  "  ugee  "  ;  when  thicker,  merely  scalded,  it  is  called 
stodge,  or  "ugari"  ;  an  intermediate  form  is  known  as  "porridge." 

Stairs  has  had  continued  fever  for  some  days.  Nelson  and 
myielf  have  decided  to  kill  the  donkeys  when  food  becomes 
much  scarcer  than  it  is  at  present.  We  have  now  eaten  most 
of  the  things  which  the  country  seems  to  produce,  and  we  are  still 
on  our  legs  to  tell  the  tale  ;  this  recollection  should,  I  suppose, 
help  to  buoy  us  up  in  our  present  position ;  but  philosophy  is 
often  disappointing — when  appealed  to  under  the  influence  of 
an  empty  stomach,  and  a  frame  affected  with  general  debility. 

The  rats  are  devouring  everything  here ;  they  have  finished 
our  home-made  boots,  and  have  now  commenced  our  blankets. 
This  gives  us  additional  trouble,  as  the  making  of  a  pair 
of  boots  engrosses  all  the  spare  time  of  a  week.  We  make 
them  after  the  fashion  of  veldtschoons  (Dutch  shoes),  with 
soles  of  buffalo,  or  hippo-hide,  and  uppers  of  ox-hide ;  but 
the  stitching  is  the  difficulty.  I  have  known  of  but  one 
instance  in  which  the  Zanzibaris  have  eaten  rats ;  they  do  not, 
however,  very  often  catch  them.  Nelson  prepared  me  a  lun- 
cheon yesterday,  which  would  have  been  worth  7s.  Qd.  at  the 
"  Metropole,"  made  from  small  fish,  one  inch  in  length,  caught 
in  baskets  in  the  stream. 

s 


258  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

On  Saturday  last,  I  bad  a  list  of  twenty-five  sick  ;  and,  of  the 
numerous  other  members  of  our  force  ayIio  were  seedy,  four 
were  unable  to  walk ;  so  that  twenty-nine,  out  of  the  fifty-five 
men  here,  were  quite  incapable. 

Very  heavy  rain  fell  yesterday,  which  deluged  the  whole 
place  in  five  minutes.  We  have  built  a  very  fine  house  for 
Emin  Pasha,  as  we  expect  that  he  will  stay  here  for  some  days 
bug-hunting.  To-day  Stairs  had  his  tobacco  cut  and  laid  out. 
I  have  no  doubt,  indeed,  that  at  home  in  the  British  Islands  it 
could  be  as  well  grown  and  cured  as  here. 

I  am  running  short  of  dressing  for  ulcers ;  so  I  took  the 
powder  out  of  a  number  of  my  cartridges  to-day,  and  applied 
it  as  a  dressing.  It  certainly  exerted  a  marked  deodorising 
influence,  and  is  also  useful  in  itch-cases  after  the  patient  has 
been  well  rubbed  down  with  a  wisp,  and  sand-and-water. 

Aug.  14.—  .... 

Aug.  15. — We  sent  two  men  to-day  to  get  some  sweet 
potatoes ;  they  returned  early,  saying  that  there  were  none. 
Another  discouraging  factor !  So  Stairs  and  myself  tried  to 
make  ourselves  comfortable  with  a  luncheon  which  consisted 
of  half  a  cup  of  matammah  flour  and  some  French  beans.  One 
man  grinds  corn  for  us  three  officers,  so  that  we  have  barely  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  meal ;  and  it  is  invariably  sour  before  we 
come  to  cook  it.  We  are  afraid  to  eat  much  of  it ;  it  is  so 
precious  now,  and  our  reserve  may  be  exhausted  before  we  can 
get  any  relief. 

I  have  some  few  ulcers  on  my  leg ;  my  boy,  Muftah,  has 
some  on  his  gluteal  region,  so  that  he  has  been  obliged  per- 
manently to  relinquish  the  sitting  for  the  erect  posture  during 
the  day-time.  None  of  us  white  men  have  had  any  fever  to- 
day, although  some  of  the  men  are  bad  with  it.  We  are  no\\- 
so  accustomed  to  the  existence  of  fever  with  us  and  around  us, 
that  we  have  almost  come  to  regard  it  as  a  normal  condition, 
and  I  have  given  up  taking  notes  of  its  occurrence.  Un- 
doubtedly, the  Zanzibaris  owe  a  great  deal  of  their  physical 
ill-being  to  their  timidity  and  laziness,  combined  with  the 
customary  filthiness  of  their  habits. 

Aug.  16, — On  awaking  this  morning,  I  felt  the  well-known 
sensations,  premonitory  of  a  return  of  my  old  erysipelas ;  and, 
surely  enough,  when  there  was  suflicicnt  light  to  see  it,  there 
was  the  rosy  blush  over  the  left   hip,  and   accompanied    by 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  259 

enlargement  and  tenderness  of  the  inguinal  glands  on  the 
corresponding  side.  I  felt  sickish  all  over,  and  remained  in 
bed.  My  temperature  was,  however,  still  normal ;  but,  after 
<an  interval  of  an  hour,  I  found  that  it  had  risen  to  102°  F., 
and,  during  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  it  got  np  to  104°  F. 
The  fever  was  of  the  typical  agueish  variety,  so  it  is  a  study 
of  some  interest  to  investigate  the  connection  between  the 
local  disease  and  the  general  pyrexia.  Did  the  erysipelas 
•cause  the  fever ;  or,  was  the  fever  a  constitutional  one  with  a 
'definite  local  lesion  ?  There  was  a  good  deal  of  puffiness  under 
"the  eyes,  and  severe  deep-seated  lumbar  pain.  The  skin  was 
-dotted  over  the  affected  area  with  elevated  patches  like  those 
•of  urticaria.     There  was  no  pitting,  however,  on  pressure. 

Aug.  17. — I  remained  indoors  as  much  as  possible  during 
"the  day.  The  fever  was  gone  this  morning,  the  puffiness  under 
the  eyes  had  diminished,  but  there  was  still  intense  pain  over 
the  erysipelatous  area,  accompanied  by  extreme  tenderness.  I 
took  a  large  dose  of  quinine. 

Aug.  18. — Still  invalided  and  remaining  indoors.  Nelson 
saw  my  sick  to-day ;  but  one  very  bad  case  was  brought  into 
my  hut  for  inspection.  Of  the  whole  force  of  fifty-five  (men 
.and  boys)  now  in  camp,  about], thirty  have  ulcers,  and  three 
of  these  are  simply  rotting  away.  Emin  Pasha's  house  is  now 
finished,  so  that  if  he  does  not  come  we  will  be  doubly  dis- 
appointed :  having  had  all  this  trouble  for  nothing.  Nelson's 
fore-arm  is  greatly  swollen  and  inflamed  from  an  insect-bite ; 
so  I  bandaged  it  up. 

I  fell  into  a  grievously  bad  temper  to-day,  as  is  always  the 
case  when  my  internal  organisation  (liver,  &c.)  is  out  of  order, 
before  and  after  this  African  fever.  It  is  a  symptom  which 
always  manifests  itself,  whether  the  affected  individual  be 
naturally  gifted  with  a  good  temper  or  a  bad  one. 

Aug.  19. — Stairs  and  myself  have  just  made  out  a  complete 
list  of  the  sick  in  camp,  with  their  respective  diseases.  It  is 
.as  follows  : — 

Ulcers       .........-•"> 

Debility - 

Struma     .........       1 

Periostitis.  ........       1 

Iritis 1 

Total  .  .  .  .30 

.s  2 


260  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1888. 

These  invalids  receive  treatment  twice  every  day ;  most  of 
them  take  their  turn  as  sentry,  as  they  are  merely  required  to  sit 
at  their  post  for  a  few  hours  at  a  time.  So  that  we  have  made 
out  a  second  classification  of  the  total  force : — • 

Unfit  for  work 11 

Fit  for  light  work  only 10 

Officers,  o\  Qi 

Boys,  3     / 

Balance  (in  poor  condition)  ......  19 

Total  .  .  .  .55 


It  is  very  hot  to-day,  and  there  has  been  but  little  rain  for 
some  days  past.  Our  Zanzibaris  are  great  schemers  and  ma- 
lingerers. The  members  of  the  latter  tribe  always  convey  their 
bodily  grievances  to  Stairs  or  Nelson,  so  that  they  may  have- 
a  fair  chance  of  getting  off  work ;  they  are  cunning  enough  to 
guess  that  if  they  came  to  me  they  would  be  detected.  The  poor 
wretches  are  certainly  eaten  up  in  a  dreadful  way  by  these 
horrible  ulcers.  The  fact  is  that  their  tissues  have  no  resist- 
ing power — they  are  nourished  on  the  very  poorest  diet — the 
great  majority  getting  nothing  to  eat  but  small  undeveloped 
bananas,  while  the  very  weak  ones  receive  a  few  heads  of  corn 
as  an  extra  ration.  Under  these  circumstances,  the  smallest 
abrasion  of  the  surface  soon  spreads  into  a  great  corroding 
ulcer,  which  rapidly  assumes  a  moist,  gangrenous  appearance. 
But  the  worst  of  these  appear  to  be  connected  with  the  bites 
of  flies ;  and  when  a  fly  goes  from  an  ulcerated  surface  to  an. 
unbroken  one — whether  on  the  same  person  or  another — his 
prolonged  stay  is  sure  to  be  followed  by  a  point  of  irritation  ;. 
from  which  as  centre,  the  ulcerative  process  quickly  spreads. 

I  filled  their  medicine  chests  for  Stairs  and  Nelson  to- 
day. The  former  had  given  away  some  of  his  medicine 
bottles  to  the  Manyuema.  These  medicine  chests  are  very 
handy  for  the  officers  when  they  are  separated,  and  have  to- 
do  some  amateur  doctoring,  at  a  distance  from  me.  I  gave 
some  beef-tea  tabloids  to  three  of  the  invalids  to-day,  but  they 
were  "  blue-mouldy." 

Aug.  20.—  .... 

Aug.  21. — About  11  o'clock  last  night,  the  sentries  in  tlie 
south-east  tower  reported  the  presence  of  a  wild  pig  outside 
the  boma,  or  stockade.     On   closer  inspection  by  Stairs,  it 


1888]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  2G1 

Jturned  out  that  about  a  score  of  natives  were  in  our  tobacco- 
plot  stealing  our  little  crop  of  the  weed.  Seven  or  eight  shots 
were  at  once  fired,  and  two  of  the  natives  were  shot  dead ; 
•the  remainder  ran  off  in  different  directions.  After  a  short 
time,  they  commenced  calling  to  each  other ;  in  order,  I 
suppose,  to  find  out  who  had  been  hurt.  One  of  the  natives 
who  had  been  killed  by  our  shots  was  a  circumcised  individual. 
We  found,  when  morning  allowed  us  to  explore  the  neighbour- 
hood, eight  baskets  of  sweet  potatoes  at  the  end  of  the  Kavalli 
road :  they  were  close  to  a  fire,  where  some  of  the  natives  had 
evidently  been  making  themselves  comfortable  while  they 
waited  for  the  foraging  party,  and  from  which  they  had  taken 
to  their  heels  on  hearing  the  shots. 

Last  night's  adventure  will,  I  expect,  keep  us  clear  of  plun- 
dering natives  for  some  time  to  come.  Many  of  them  left 
their  bows  and  arrows  behind  when  they  ran  off;  they  will 
probably  be  afraid  to  return  for  them  now,  and  we  will  have 
less  to  fear. 

Aug.  22. — Nelson's  birthday.  The  poor  fellow  is  very  seedy 
to-day  ;  and  our  surroundings  and  immediate  expectations  are 
not  such  as  would  tend  to  brighten  any  one's  birthday  very 
much.  Stairs  had  all  the  huts  swept  out  to-day — the  Zan- 
zibaris  are  most  abominably  filthy  in  their  habits,  a  fact  which 
is  re-impressed  upon  me  more  forcibly  every  day.  There  are 
twenty-three  sick  this  morning — out  of  our  total  force  of  fifty- 
five.     This  indicates  some  improvement. 

Aug.  23. — It  is  exactly  three  months  to-day  since  I  left  the 
jSTyanza ;  so  that  I  think  Emin  Pasha  should  soon  be  here. 
I  was  obliged  to  lie  all  day  in  bed  yesterday,  as  I  had  an 
inflamed  leg  and  high  fever.  My  boy,  Muftah,  like  all  the 
Zanzibaris  I  have  met,  is  a  most  terrible  liar.  He  is  supposed 
to  go  every  day  to  look  at  the  bird-trap.  I  asked  him 
yesterday,  "  Have  you  seen  the  bird-trap  ?  "  He  at  once 
answered,  "  Oh,  yes,  master  !  "  I  asked,  "  Where  is  it  ?  " 
The  prompt  reply  was,  "  It  is  in  the  same  place."  I  said, 
angrily,  "  You  lie  ! " — I  had  removed  the  thing  two  days  ago  ; 
nevertheless  he  would  argue  confidently  with  me  that  he  had 
seen  it  every  morning,  although  I  had  detected  him  in  the 
falsehood. 

Aug.  24.—  .... 

Aug.  25.— I   have  been  obliged   to   lie  down  during  the 


2G2  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

greater  part  of  the  day  on  account  of  the  state  of  my  leg.  I 
have  inflammation  of  the  lymphatics  (angeioleucitis)  all  the 
way  up  the  front  of  my  right  shin — from  the  instep  to  the 
knee.  It  is  terribly  painful ;  and,  in  my  present  shaky  con- 
dition, has  been  enough  to  comj)lete  my  prostration.  Hanamri 
died  to-day.  He  Avas  a  weakly  lad,  whose  system  had  been 
thoroughly  undermined  by  the  starvation  which  he  had  suf- 
fered. He  retained  just  strength  enough  to  reach  this  place 
from  Ugarrowwa's  camp.  He  had  on  his  left  foot  and  leg 
the  worst  gangrenous  ulcer  I  have  ever  seen ;  it  extended  from 
the  bases  of  the  toes  to  above  his  ankle,  and  was  rapidly- 
spreading  up  the  front  of  the  leg.  The  discharge  was  very 
offensive,  and  the  sloughing  process  had  extended  through  the 
soft  parts  ;  destroying  the  connective  tissue  and  muscles  down 
to  the  bone,  and  dissecting  out  the  tendons,  vessels  and 
nerves.  The  man  seemed  to  be  a  thorough  fatalist ;  he 
emphatically  declared  he  knew  that  he  would  die,  and  he  kept 
his  word.  I  do  believe  that  the  unflinching  opinion  which 
he  held  on  the  subject  was  an  important  factor  in  the  verification 
of  his  prediction. 

The  average  daily  number  of  sick  attended  now  is  twenty. 

Aug.  26. — We  killed  our  last  sheep  to-day^  and  when  this 
is  finished  we  are  condemned  to  live  without  meat  till  either 
3Ir.  Stanley  or  Em  in  Pasha  arrives.  Since  my  return  from 
Kilonga  Longa's  camp,  on  the  6th  of  June  last,  I  have  not 
quite  averaged  one  meal  of  meat  per  week.  The  Zanzibaris 
liave  broken  into  our  garden,  and  stolen  the  few  onions  I 
brought  from  the  lake.  All  our  men  are  now  off  collecting 
bananas,  and  everything  else  they  can  get  in  the  shape  of  food. 
It  was  on  this  day  twelvemonth  I  amputated  Juma's  foot ;  he 
is  now  fat  and  strong,  and  on  his  Avay  down  river  in  a  canoe 
— from  Ugarrowwa's — as  ho  is  unable  to  walk,  nobody  having 
been  handy  enough  to  make  him  a  wooden  leg. 

Aug.  28. — AVo  finislied  the  last  of  our  meat  to-day.  We 
have  had  a  plate  of  peas — grown  from  the  seeds  which  the 
Pasha  gave  mo  at  tlio  Nyanza.  Ho  also  gave  mo  brinjals, 
water-melons,  and  ]>umpkins,  all  of  which  arc  very  poor,  and 
not  yet  fully  formed  ;  tlie  onions  wore  planted  at  the  same  time 
as  the  peas — about  tlio  10th  of  June — but  they  are  not  fully 
formed  as  yet.  Tlic  bull)  is  not  developed,  and  the  stalk  is 
but  three  or  four  inches  lonc'.     Wo  shall  now  have  to  live  by 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  263 

grazing — until  Jephson  and  the  Pasba  come.  It  is  a  cnrious 
country  this,  in  our  experience  of  it — we  eat  the  leaves  and 
tops  of  every  green  shrub  and  grass  about  the  place,  and,  as  yet, 
with  impunity. 

Aug.  29.—  .... 

Aug.  30. — Bin  Shumari  was  caught  last  night  in  the  act  of 
stealing  beans  and  corn.  He  got  "  twenty  "  with  a  rod  this 
morning. 

I  had  gruel  for  luncheon  to-day,  also  gruel  for  dinner.  It 
was,  on  each  occasion,  spiced  with  some  capsicum ;  so  that  the 
flavour  might  diminish  its  mawkishness  a  little.  We  had 
picked  the  small  red  pepper-pods — chillies — of  about  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  in  length,  dried,  and  powdered  them.  The  pepper 
so  freshly  prepared  is,  certainly,  verij  liot.  The  shrub  itself  is 
about  five  feet  in  height ;  its  leaves  make  a  good  spinach. 

At  -1.30  P.M.  a  violent  tornado  swept  over  the  fort ;  followed 
by  torrents  of  rain  and  hail.  The  hailstones  had  an  average 
diameter  of  half  an  inch.  The  roofs  of  some  of  our  houses 
were  bldwn  clean  off,  many  trees  were  prostrated  around  our 
encampment ;  everything  looks  wrecked  and  desolate  since  the 
storm  blew  over. 

Aug.  31. — Stairs  had  bad  fever  to-day.  The  men  are 
allowed  a  holiday  to  try  to  put  their  huts  into  repair — after  the 
ravages  of  yesterday's  storm.  Our  promising  field  of  corn  has 
been  completely  prostrated  by  the  terrible  hurricane  and 
ponderous  hailstones ;  it  is  hopelessly  spoilt.  It  is  a  serious 
outlook  for  us,  poor  sojourners  in  the  land  as  we  are :  all  our 
crops  are  wrecked,  the  brinjals  and  melons  are  smashed  to 
pieces  ;  the  onion-stalks  have  been  broken  off  by  the  hail ;  the 
tobacco-leaves  also  have  been  broken  off  by  the  falling  stones, 
many  of  them  neatly  i^erf orated.  The  men  say  that  the  corn 
may  rise  again  after  a  hot  sun  ;  but  at  least  half  the  crop  has 
been  hopelessly  lacerated,  which  is  very  disheartening. 
Nelson  tells  me  that  when  he  was  ostrich-farming  in  South 
Africa,  he  saw  hailstones  penetrate  corrugated  zinc  roofs  in 
their  fall,  and  kill  ostriches  in  the  sheds  beneath. 

Sept.  1.— There  was  a  very  hot  sun  to-day.  The  corn  is 
looking  a  little  better  ;  some  of  it  again  tends  to  the  upright 
position  ;  but  a  large  proportion  of  the  stalks  have  been  utterly 
broken,  and  can  never  raise  their  heads  again.  The  men  are 
constantly  dreaming  about  Emin  Pasha's  coming ;  some  of 


264  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

them  said  this  morning  that  he  was  certain  to  arrive  to-day. 
They  seem  to  he  great  believers  in  vague  spiritual  impres- 
sions of  various  kinds. 

Sept.  2.—  .... 

Sept.  3. — Khamis  Faragi  died  last  night ;  the  poor  fellow's 
death  was  a  great  relief,  as  his  case  had  long  been  utterly 
hopeless,  and  he  had  to  be  looked  after  in  every  way — food, 
wood,  fire,  water,  &c.,  &c.,  had  to  be  provided  for  him.  His 
vitality  was  indeed — like  that  of  the  other  invalid  Zanzibaris 
whom  I  have  had  to  treat — perfectly  astonishing  ;  I  do  not 
think  that  the  poor  fellow  had  three  pounds  of  solid  flesh  on 
his  body.  He  was  one  of  the  lean  kine  who  had  returned  to 
us  from  Ugarrowwa's  camp,  and  since  that  date  he  had  existed, 
literally  as  a  living  skeleton,  whose  bones  were  held  together 
by  skin  and  ligament — a  more  melancholy  spectacle  I  can 
hardly  conceive. 

The  usual  custom  of  the  Zanzibaris  when  one  of  them 
becomes  very  ill  indeed — esj^ecially  if  the  disease  happens  to 
be  a  foul  ulcer,  or  some  other  complaint  likely  to  excite 
disgust,  and  he  becomes  entirely  unable  to  help  himself — is 
that  the  poor  invalid  is  utterly  deserted  by  his  comrades,  and 
abandoned  in  a  separate  hut,  to  live  or  die  alone.  It  is 
certainly  one  of  the  shabbiest  moral  features  of  the  tribe,  as 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  kindness  among  them  when  all  are  able 
to  go  about  together. 


(     265     ) 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

LIFE     AT     FORT     BODO. 

Anxiety  of  the  men  to  get  back  to  the  phiins — Ali  Jamba's  proposaLs — 
"We  hold  a  council,  and  agree  that  to  evacuate  the  fort  would  be  fatal 
— The  mischief-making  clique  of  Zanzibaris — Eecent  events  do  not 
improve  our  powers  of  mutual  forbearance — Scarcity  of  idols  in  Central 
Africa — Ninety-nine  per  cent,  of  our  Zanzibaris  have  had  ulcers — 
Mohammed  A.  and  Nubian  boy  lost  in  the  forest  whilst  fumging — 
Their  probable  fate — -Porridge  made  from  bananas — List  of  European 
provisions  for  the  officers  of  tlie  Expedition  taken  from  Yambuya — 
Unsuccessful  food  expeditions — -My  boy  captures  some  fish  :  flat  worms 
in  the  same — Sufferings  of  the  Mahdi  men  from  "  guinea-worms  "  : 
their  description  and  growth — Annoyance  of  lats  at  night-time — The 
men's  latrine  at  the  furt — Garden  i)lots — The  first  pumpkin  of  our 
own  growth — The  ascaris  himhricovUs — Eesult  of  our  want  of  exercise 
— Nelson,  Stairs  and  myself  down  with  fever  and  its  accompanying 
ailments — Our  beautiful  white  teeth  due  to  the  lack  of  albuminous 
food — A  Zanzibar!  tooth-brush — Thoughts  of  home — Stairs  ill  with  an 
anthracoid  sore — Hopes  for  Stanley's  early  arrival — Our  boys  capture 
a  snake^fiespective  weights  of  Nelson,  Stairs,  and  myself  compared 
with  former  records — Damage  by  elephants  to  our  plantation — Cooking 
utensils  of  the  natives — My  little  pigmy  woman  pays  great  attention 
to  me — We  enjoy  the  night  air — Condition  of  the  crops. 

Sept.  5. — Ali  Jumba  came  to  Stairs  yesterday,  and  told  liiiu 
that  all  the  men  had  held  a  shanri ;  and  had  unanimonsly 
expressed  their  great  anxiety  to  get  to  the  plains.  He  came 
as  their  representative,  and  made  two  proposals,  as  the  men 
were  growing  impatient  of  the  long  wait  for  Emin  Pasha,  and 
had  but  wretchedly  poor  food  to  eat :  first,  that  fifteen  of  the 
strongest  men  of  the  force  -would  go  with  one  white  officer  to 
the  edge  of  the  bush,  and,  if  they  found  the  natives  friendly, 
they  would  push  on  with  a  letter  to  Emin  asking  him  to  come 
and  relieve  us  at  the  fort — i.e.,  to  assist  us  to  carry  the  loads  to 
the  lake ;  if  the  natives  were  inclined  to  show  fight  they  would 
try  and  bribe  a  friendly  native  to  carry  the  letter  through  to 
Emin,  and  then  retire.  The  second  proposition  was,  that  ail 
the  men  would  evacuate  this  fort  completely ;  conveying  the 
loads  by  double  journeys  till  they  arrived  at  a  good  banana 
plantation,  where  they  would  make  a  boma,  and  remain  until 


26G  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888.. 

relieved  Ly  either  Emin  or  Mr.  Stanley.  These  proposals  are- 
made  by  the  men,  as  they  say  that  they  can  get  little  or  no- 
food  here ;  and  must  necessarily  die  of  starvation  if  some  such 
move  is  not  made.  On  receiving  this  communication,  Stairs,, 
Nelson  and  myself,  held  our  council,  and  unanimously  agreed 
that  it  would  be  fatal  for  us  to  more  from  here.  The  men 
have  a  fair  quantity  of  bananas  for  making  ugari  (scalded 
banana  meal,  of  a  thick  consistence) — and  being  well  fortified,, 
we  can  easily  hold  this  place  against  any  attack  Avhich  the 
natives  are  likely  to  make  on  it.  Besides,  the  first  proposi- 
tion is  simply  an  impossible  one  to  carry  out,  as  so  small  a 
body  of  men  could  never  reach  tiie  lake — they  would  be 
chiiigered  (throats  cut)  on  the  way ;  also,  even  if  they  were 
fortunate  enough  to  escape  all  probable  difficulties,  when  they 
reached  the  lake,  if  the  white  officer  said  come  back,  they 
would  certainly  say,  "  No ;  we  go  on  a  la  Zanzibar ;  "  the 
natives  would  appear  friendly,  and  invite  them  to  sit  down,  eat,, 
and  be  merry — the  Wangwana  would  forget,  and  say  "All 
right ;  "  and,  after  a  little,  when  they  least  expected  and  all 
suspicion  had  been  disarmed,  the  natives  would  spear  the 
whole  lot.  The  second  proposition  is  also  impossible,  as  the- 
men  would  have  to  make  at  least  four  trips  for  one  day'& 
journey  forwards,  which  they  would  never  be  able  to 
accomplish  ;  also,  there  are  not  sufficient  men  for  two  guards,, 
and  there  is  no  food  between  this  place  and  the  plains.  On 
the  other  hand,  by  remaining  here  they  are  sure  of  being 
relieved  sooner  or  later — a  source  of  salvation  which  they 
might  actually  miss  by  migrating  to  another  locality  ;  also,, 
they  will  have  rations  of  corn  available  for  their  use  from  the 
Lst  of  October — the 'corn  already  in  the  bin  will  furnish  them 
with  three  heads  a  day  ;  and  the  g'reen  corn  will  be  fit  for 
cooking  by  the  end  of  October.  Hamis  Pari,  the  IMuniapara, 
says  that  they  want  to  get  the  taste  of  meat,  and  to  have 
nothing  to  do  but  eat  meat  and  other  good  things  on  tlie 
shore  of  the  Albert  Nyanza  with  Emin  Pasha.  They  are  all 
a  discontented,  bad  lot ;  but  they  are  also  badly  treated,  as 
they  sliould  certainly  have  been  relieved  before  now — by  His 
l']xcellency  the  Pasha,  and  Jephson. 

Sept.  G. — It  is  just  two  months  to-day,  since  I  returned  from 
tlie  Manyuema  camp.  When  the  men  fell  in  this  morning,. 
Stairs  told  them  that  Ali  Jumba's  proposals  were  out  of  the 


1888.]  ■  LIFE  AT  FOBT  BODO.  2G7" 

question  ;  and  that  tliey  should  all  stay  at  the  fort  till  relieved. 
Wadi  Asmani,  another  Muniapara,  agreed,  and  all  the  others 
were  silent  and  seemed  to  acquiesce,  excepting  Ali  Jumba  and 
Fetteh.  The  latter  said  that  there  was  no  food  ahead  of  us 
where  a  boma  could  be  made  so  as  to  allow  us  to  remain  till 
Stanley  came  up.  Ali  Jumba  then  said,  "  Fetteh,  why  don't 
you  come  forward,  as  it  was  you  who  told  me  to  ask  the 
mazungu  (white  man)."  None  did,  however,  come  forward  in 
response  to  All's  appeal.  The  mischief-making  clique  consists 
of  Ali  Jumba,  Tabebu,  Fetteh,  Msomgese  and  Kasembi. 

Nelson  has  been  sick  both  yesterday  and  to-day.  We  are 
all  growing  supersensitive  here — close  quarters  in  the  heart 
of  the  dense  forest,  with  scorching  sun,  impure  air,  and  recurrent 
attacks  of  malarial  fever  are  not  improving  our  powers  of 
mutual  forbearance. 

Sept.  7. — To-day  I  strolled  a  considerable  distance  into  the 
forest  to  try  and  get  a  shot,  as  we  have  no  meat  of  any  kind ; 
but  I  had  no  luck.  After  our  dinner  of  Indian  meal,  gruel 
and  mboga,  Nelson,  Stairs  and  myself,  sometimes  spend  the 
evening  talking  about  mutton  chops,  steaks  and  pastry.  I 
believe  we  are  capable  of  eating  any  hind  of  animal  food  ]\\^i 
now,  and  I  am  sure  we  will  astonish  the  passengers  on  board 
the  -British  India  Steamship  Navigation  Company's  steamer 
Avhen  we  are  returning  home. 

I  have  not  seen  a  single  idol  since  I  entered  the  forest ;  the 
natives  in  Central  Africa  do  not  seem  to  worship  anything  in 
the  heavens  above,  or  in  the  earth  beneath,  or  in  the  waters 
under  the  earth.  On  one  occasion,  at  Kavalli's — on  the  day 
on  which  I  returned  from  the  lake,  after  starting  Jephson  off 
in  the  boat  to  find  the  Pasha — the  natives  requested  me  to  ask 
Mr.  Stanley  to  give  them  rain  for  their  crops ;  a  suggestion 
which  enlisted  his  immediate  attention.  On  the  Congo,  I 
frequently  saw  wooden  figures  used  as  idols. 

Last  night  the  men  caught  a  little  native  girl  stealing  a 
fish-basket. 

I  think  I  am  right  in  saying  that  ninety -nine  per  cent,  of 
our  Zanzibaris  have  had  ulcers ;  and  of  all  these  so  affected, 
ninety-nine  per  cent,  have  had  ulcers  below  the  knee.  We 
Avhite  men  have  had  our  share  too  ;  but  the  Zanzibaris  yield 
so  much  more  easily  to  all  forms  of  pathological  actioi] — for 
not  only  is  it  that  their  tissues,  from  prolonged  exposure  and 


268  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [188S. 

starvation,  liave  lost  their  resisting  power ;  but  the  individuals 
are  so  apathetic  and  so  fatalistic,  that  they  make  no  effort 
to  shake  off  the  attack,  which  they  attribute  to  an  unseen 
agency ;  and  if  they  make  up  their  minds  that  they  are  goiug 
to  the  bad,  I  hardly  think  that  anything  will  prevent  them. 

Sept.  8. — Nelson  is  down  witli  fever  to-day — temperature 
105°  F.  Every  night  we  sit  outside  our  huts  and  watch 
the  firmament,  as  the  sky  is  beautifully  bright  and  star- 
light. The  Southern  Cross  is  always  very  distinct,  and  we 
frequently  see  Venus  between  the  horns  of  the  moon — making 
"  the  crescent  and  the  star," 

Sept.  i). — Mohammed  A.,  the  Nubian  Shouish  (Sergeant), 
went  off  to-day  for  bananas,  and  has  not  yet  returned.  Fadel, 
the  Nubian  boy,  has  gone  with  him.  Nelson's  fever  is  better, 
but  my  temperature  is  104°  F,  ;  somebody  is  always  keeping 
lip  the  running  in  this  pyrexial  show.  It  might  be  somewhat 
endurable  if  we  had  good  attendants,  and  an  appreciative 
audience,  but  we  unfortunately  have  neither  the  one  nor  the 
other. 

Sept.  10. — ]\[ohammed  A.  and  the  boy  not  yet  returned. 
My  fever  same  as  yesterday. 

Sept.  11. — Mohammed  A.  {yel  Mohammed  Zebir)  and  boy 
have  not  yet  returned.  Ten  men  armed  with  rifles  were  sent 
out  to-day  to  search  for  them.  It  is  very  easy  to  lose  one's 
way  in  the  forest,  unless  the  trees  are  blazed  as  one  goes 
along.  Once  lost,  getting  back  again  is  all  a  matter  of  luck, 
as  you  cannot  see  the  sun  through  the  dense  foliage.  If  you 
turn  a  Zanzibari  round  on  his  own  vertical  axis  three  or  four 
times  in  the  bush,  he  ceases  to  know  in  Avhat  direction  he 
should  make  for  home.  I  expect  that  by  this  time  the 
natives  have  had  a  good  feed  off  Mohammed  A.  and  the 
boy  ;  as  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  bush  are  cannibals,  their 
"  banquet "  will  not  be  as  good  in  quantity  as  quality,  I 
should  say  ;  as  both  missing  individuals  are  poor  in  liesh. 

I  wonder  what  the  Aborigines  Protection  Society  would  have 
done  under  these  circumstances  ?  Perhaps,  after  duly  consider- 
ing the  surroundings,  they  would  prefer  to  remain  in  their  arm- 
chairs and  pass  resolutions.  I'm  quite  sure  these  aborigines 
are  quite  as  capable  of  protecting  themselves  as  the  members 
of  the  Society. 

The  men  returned  this  afternoon  but  no  ]Mohammed  A. :  so 


1SS8.]  ■  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  209 

that  we  siisj^Gct  all  the  more  that  he  is  at  supper  with  some 
convocation  of  political  natives— not  where  he  eats  but  where 
he  is  eaten.     N.B.  I  have  been  reading  Hamlet  this  evening. 

Sept.  13 — The  men  seem  to  think  it  a  good  joke  that 
Mohammed  A.  has  been  lost ;  the  natives,  they  say,  will  very 
likely  have  their  last  hash  of  him  and  the  boy  to-day ;  and 
seem  to  think  it  wise  of  us  to  strengthen  our  fortification 
(which  we  are  carefully  doing),  as  all  agree  that  the  natives 
are  likely  to  try  a  closer  investigation  of  our  premises  soon — • 
now  that  the  capture  of  the  Nubians  will  have  given  them 
courage. 

We  heard  the  Washenzi  yelling  and  shrieking  close  to  our 
camp  to-day ;  they  did  not,  however,  come  in  sight. 

Sept.  18. — The  men  got  plenty  of  unripe  bananas  both 
yesterday  and  the  day  before.  They  peeled  them,  and  cut 
them  up  into  slices;  then  placed  them  on  a  sort  of  grating 
("  changer  "),  with  a  fire  underneath;  and  kept  them  turned 
till  they  were  thoroughly  dried  and  crisj^ed.  When  this 
process  was  completed  they  pounded  them  into  flour,  which 
they  made  into  a  thin  porridge ;  this  is  what  the  men  call 
"  U-gee."^ 

On  this  day  twelvemonth  we  left  the  Arabs  at  IJgarrowwa's 
camp  on  the  Aruwimi,  just  twenty  days'  march  from  Fort 
Bodo,  and  here  we  are  still !  We  have  settled  down  to  farm 
in  the  centre  of  Africa  !  The  following  is  a  complete  list  of 
the  European  provisions  taken  for  Mr,  Stanley,  his  servant, 
Stairs,  Nelson,  Jephson,  and  myself.  On  the  march  from 
Yambuya  (180  days  to  the  lake)  there  were  six  loads  of  food 
and  one  box  of  brandy — making  seven  loads. 

Contents. 

Tea,     tins  (3  lbs.  cacli) 6 

Salt        „ 4 

Butter    „ 12 

Milk       „ 16 

Knives,  tin-opener     ,,,,...  4 

Sugar,     tins     ,          ,          ,          .          .          .          .          .  4 

Jam           „ 12 

Herrings    „......,.  2 

Vegetables  (dried)  tin          ......  1 

Lard,  box          ,....,,.  1 

Eice,  bags        ..,,,.,,  5 


•270  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1S88. 

Chocolate             tins.          ......  2 

Cocoa  and  milk     „    .  .  .  .  .  .  .4 

Sardines                 „    .          ,          .          .          .          .          .  G 

Sausages  (Oxford),  tins       ......  7 

Coffee,  tins  (5  lbs.  each)     ......  10 

Biscuits,     boxes         .......  5 

Tapioca         „             .......  3 

Sa-o              „ 3 

Liebig  extract,  pots  .          .          .....  12 

Arrowroot,  tins          .          .          .          .          .          .          .  1 

lirandy  (two  bottles  each)  ......  12 

Flour  (1  lb.  iu  each),  tins  ......  6 

Mr.  Stanley  took  his  share  with  us.  The  sugar  rau  to  about 
450  lumps  each ;  one  tin  was  lost. 

Sept.  19,  20.—  .... 

Sept.  21. — I  had  high  fever  again  last  night.  Heavy  rain 
*falls  nearly  every  day  from  4 .  30  till  5 .  30  p.m.  Mr.  Stanley  is 
about  fourteen  days  on  his  return  journey ;  so  that  if  Jephson 
■does  not  come  here  soon,  our  chief  Avill  probably  be  the  first 
to  reach  us.  I  do  wish  that  some  Saviour  would  come ;  I 
want  badly  to  get  a  month  or  two  on  the  plains  with  Emin 
Pasha,  so  as  to  have  a  chance  of  getting  up  some  strength  for 
the  march  to  Zanzibar.  The  men  here  are  in  a  wretchedly 
weak  state ;  three-fourths  of  the  total  number  are  quite  unfit 
for  work,  and  they  cannot  procure  sufficient  food  to  brace 
them  up,  as  the  elephants,  the  natives,  and  ourselves  have 
been  preying  upon  the  banana  crop  for  several  months,  and 
the  plant  bears  fruit  but  once  a  year.  Yesterday,  five  men 
did  a  foraging  expedition,  but  brought  back  scarcely  enough 
food  to  supply  them  for  the  day.  We  have  none  of  us  tasted 
meat  of  any  kind  for  over  a  month,  and  we  have  no  arrowroot 
— or,  indeed,  anything  but  Indian  corn  or  bananas — for  cases 
of  sickness  (or  of  health)  among  us ;  nor  has  there  been  any 
for  over  twelve  months.  I  am  afraid'we  shall  have  to  kill  the 
donkeys  which  the  Pasha  gave  us. 

Sept.  22,  23—  .... 

Sept.  24. — On  this  day  four  months  we  left  the  Albert 
Nyanza  on  our  way  back  here.  If  Mr.  Stanley  returns  up  to 
time — in  December — and  we  start  on  our  way  to  Zanzibar 
about  the  1st  of  February,  we  shall  just  get  home  (witli  ordinary 
luck)  for  Christmas,  1889.  Yesterday  my  boy  caught  some 
small  fish;  in  two  of  these  I  found  flat  worms,  like  the  tape- 
worms of  the  human  being ;  three  of  them  were  in  the 
intestines  of  one  fish,  one  in  the  other.     The  fishes  themselves 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  271 

were  like  miniature  roaclics,  but  were  only  half  an  inch  to  one 
inch  in  length.  Both  whites  and  blacks  of  our  party  have 
■suffered  within  the  past  few  months  from  both  tape  and  round 
worms  (tc'enia  mediocanellata  and  ascaris  lumbricoides).  They 
ij^icked  them  up  on  the  plains,  where  they  are  extremely  common. 
I  believe  that  the  infection  is  due  to  drinking  water  into  which 
the  excreta  of  antelopes,  and  other  wild  animals,  have  fallen. 
It  was  practically  impossible  to  get  them  any  other  way. 

The  Mahdi  men  who  are  with  us  are  constantly  getting- 
incapacitated  from  work  by  the  presence  of  the  guinea-worm 
in  the  subcutaneous  tissues  of  their  limbs.  This  annoyino- 
parasite  develops  under  the  skin,  and  in  time  the  cutaneous 
■covering  ulcerates ;  a  portion  then  protrudes,  and,  if  not  ex- 
tracted with  great  care  it  breaks  off  and  causes  extreme  irrita- 
tion, leaving  a  huge  ulcer,  which  is  very  difficult  to  heal. 

The  irritation  has  been  attributed  to  the  setting  free  in 
ihe  surrounding  tissues  of  a  multitude  of  embryonic  worms. 
•Curiously  enough,  it  is  of  the  female  only  that  anything 
appears  to  be  known  up  to  the  present.  The  uterus  occupies 
almost  the  entire  length  of  the  cavity  of  the  body;  it  is 
always  found  full  of  young  filarise,  which,  at  the  time  of 
maturity,  measure  about  4^  of  an  incli  in  length,  by  jq^oo  to 
;Wo(j  ^^  ^^  i^cl^  i^  breadth ;  and  as  these  embryos  escape  by 
degrees  on  the  rupture  of  the  body  cavity  of  the  mother,  the 
•  amount  of  irritation  which  results  may  be  easily  explained. 
It  is  also,  probably,  intensified  by  decomposition  of  fluids 
•escaping  from  the  severed  trunk-  of  the  parent. 

The  mature  guinea-worm  measures  up  to  four  or  six  feet  in 
length,  or  even  more  ;  and  about  one-tenth  of  an  inch  in 
thickness ;  and,  as  the  body  is  uniformly  cylindrical — with  a 
rounded  head,  and  tail  curved  and  abruptly  tapering — it  forms 
a  very  singular  cord-like  specimen  when  successfully  extracted. 
If  left  alone,  it  always  leads  to  the  formation  of  an  abscess, 
the  pointing  of  which  allows  the  embryo  filaria3  to  escape  and 
pass,  if  circumstances  permit,  through  a  life-history  similar  to 
that  of  their  parent.  These  embryos  are  born  alive,  and  ready 
to  enter  on  a  career  of  activity  at  once. 

It  taxes  a  small  fresh-water  crustacean  {cijchps)  to  do  duty 
as  its  "intermediate  host ; "  and  is  now  known  to  find  its  way 
into  the  human  body  by  the  alimentary  canal  (with  drinkiui;- 
■water,  &c.),  and  not  as  was  formerly  believed,  by  penetrating 


272  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [188a 

the  skin.  It  certainly  shows  a  curious  selective  affinity  for 
the  subcutaneous  tissue  of  the  lower  extremities,  which  gave 
rise  to  the  idea  that  it  found  its  way  through  the  skin  of  these 
parts,  in  individuals  who  waded  in  affected  waters.  The 
impregnated  female  finds  its  way  through  the  various  tissues, 
to  the  skin  of  the  feet  and  legs  ;  through  which  the  embryos 
eventually  make  their  exit — to  contaminate  conveniently  the 
medium  occupied  by  their  intermediate  host.  The  filaria 
requires  about  a  year  to  develop  to  its  full  size;  and  its 
escape  through  the  skin — whether  discharged  jDathologically 
by  ulceration,  or  artificially  by  extraction  —  completes  its 
life-history.  It  has  been  known  from  time  immemorial  as 
one  of  the  pests  of  human  life,  especially  in  the  regions  of 
Africa  and  Asia  which  radiate  from  the  Ked  Sea  as  centre  ; 
and  the  enemy  whose  attacks  decimated  the  wandering  Jews- 
in  the  wilderness,  and  to  ward  off  whose  ravages  Moses  lifted 
up  the  brazen  serpent,  is  said  by  some  modern  materialistic 
naturalists  to  have  been  no  other  than  the  dracunculus 
medinensis.  None  of  our  men  have  suffered  from  this  worm ; 
only  those  Mahdi  people  who  have  come  from  the  Pasha's 
province  have  got  it,  I  have  never  met  it  amongst  the  Africans. 

Almost  every  morning  some  of  the  men  come  to  me  with  a 
bit  of  toe,  or  a  bit  of  leg,  or  a  bit  of  nose,  nibbled  by  rats,. 
which  have  no  fear  or  scruple  of  attacking  them  in  this  way 
when  asleep.  The  rats  very  frequently  attack  the  ulcerated 
surfaces  too,  when  the  sloughing  process  has  set  in,  and  the 
sensibility  has  been  thereby  diminished ;  and  do  not  leave  till 
they  have  made  regular  burrows  in  the  affected  part. 

The  forest  is  infested  with  rats,  crickets,  frogs,  lizards  and 
ants  of  all  shapes,  colours,  and  sizes,  with  wings  and  without. 

The  men's  latrine  is  situated  at  th'e  end  of  the  boma,  at  some 
distance  from  the  huts,  and  is  constructed  in  Arab  fashion ; 
a  pit  about  five  feet  deep,  covered  over  with  a  hurdle  of  plaited 
canes ;  and  these  plastered  over  with  a  layer  of  earth  at  the  toj), 
leaving  half-a-dozen  holes  each  about  a  foot  square.  By  this 
arrangement,  flies,  which  are  exceedingly  numerous  here,  are 
excluded:  otherwise  they  would  inevitably  be  a  means  of 
conveying  blood-poisoning,  by  inoculating  the  ulcerated  sur- 
faces from  which  nearly  all  are  suffering. 

The  men  are  each  given  small  gardens  for  themselves,  and 
presented  with  seeds  of  beans,  Indian  corn,  brinjals,  and  other 


1888.]  ■  LIFE  AT  FORT  DODO.  273 

vegetables  to  plant  in  it.  They  seem  very  keen  on  their 
gardening,  and  are  all  clearing  out  their  plots  vigorously,  and 
preparing  for  their  little  crops.  There  are,  at  least,  half-a- 
dozen  of  the  men  here  who  are  extremely  debilitated,  and  will 
make  no  attempt  at  recovery  till  they  get  to  the  open  breezes 
of  the  plains,  and  obtain  more  substantial  food.  Nearly  all 
the  powder  of  my  revolver  cartridges  has  now  been  expended 
in  attempts  to  annihilate  the  itch  parasite.  There  are  few 
deodorants  now,  except  small  quantities  of  carbolic  acid  and 
potassium  permanganate. 

Sept.  25. — Yesterday,  we  had  the  first  pumpkins  of  our  own 
growing.  They  were  very  good ;  but  did  not,  after  all,  differ 
very  much  from  the  wild  pumpkins  which  grow  here  in 
abundance.  The  plant  grows  well,  and  forms  a  small  yellow 
flower  ;  and  the  leaf  is  a  little  more  circular,  and  of  a  somewhat 
lighter  colour  than  that  of  the  wild  specimen.  We  eat  these 
leaves. 

To-day,  a  man  voided  a  specimen  of  the  asearis  lunibricoides, 
about  a  foot  in  length,  of  a  j)inkish  colour,  and  with  a  long 
dark  streak  along  the  mesial  line ;  also  several  small  ones  of 
the  thread  variety  (oxi/uris  vermicularis),  which  were  twisted 
up  into  all  shapes  and  postures.  The  asearis  is  just  like  those 
which  we  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  on  the  plains.  I  believe 
that  they  are  all  derived  from  impure  drinking-water.  They 
differ  from  the  ascarides  at  home,  in  being  much  pinker  in 
colour :  both  whites  and  blacks  are  affected  by  them. 

I  suggested  to  Stairs  that  we  ought  to  go  on  planting  the 
ground  which  Nelson  had  cleared  around  the  Fort  from  the 
^aulina  (forest),  as  we  may  be  obliged  to  remain  here  months 
longer  than  we  expect ;  and  will,  in  that  case,  not  have  enough 
of  food  for  the  men  without  making  some  such  provision.  He 
said,  however,  that  there  would  be  plenty  of  bananas  for  them ; 
and,  as  he  is  generally  right,  I  withdrew  my  motion, 

Sept.  26. — Stairs  remained  in  the  house  all  day  to-day ; 
Nelson  did  his  duty  for  him.  I  gave  him  eight  grains  of 
santonin,  as  he  has  been  displaying  some  helminthological 
symptoms  and  intermittent  fever. 

Wherever  flies  (like  the  common  house-fly  of  the  British 
Isles)  alight  on  excrete  matter,  they  void  one  or  more  white 
maggots,  which  immediately  commence  to  wriggle  about,  and 
rapidly  grow  on  it. 

T 


274  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOIilAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

Last  night  one  of  the  men  had  a  comatose  attack,  something 
like  the  stupor  of  the  final  stage  of  epilej)sy ;  it  was  not,  how- 
ever, preceded  by  convulsions.  We  all  feel  the  want  of 
exercise  very  much,  as  between  the  hours  of  9  a.m.  and  5  p.m. 
it  is  too  hot  for  any  one  to  go  out  for  voluntary  exercise.  The 
inevitable  result  is  that  we  have  "  spleens  "  and  "  livers"  almost 
every  day  among  us ;  we  are  as  changeable  as  the  weather- 
glass :  sometimes  we  arise  with  the  morning  light  in  a  most 
amiable  temper,  sometimes  in  a  perfectly  malignant  one. 
When  idle  for  a  few  days,  one  gets  quite  surly,  and  our 
tempers  are  affected — sometimes  for  better,  probably  oftener 
for  worse — by  the  most  trifling  current  event. 

Sept.  27.—  .... 

Sept.  28. — We  three  white  people  have  now  had  high  fever 
on  us  for  three  days ;  and  we  are  all  like  bears  with  sore  heads. 
We  almost  invariably  get  fever  when  the  wind  is  from  the 
west,  on  account  of  the  swampy  nature  of  the  soil  in  that 
direction.  There  is,  certainly,  nothing  so  good  for  the  sojourner 
in  Central  Africa  as  to  be  always  on  the  march :  remaining  in 
a  standing  camp,  like  that  whicli  we  now  occupy,  makes  the 
sanguine  phlegmatic ;  and  the  lively,  melancholic.  If  one 
could  go  for  some  shooting,  or  even  for  a  moderate  walk  daily, 
it  would  keep  him  pretty  right,  but,  situated  as  we  are  here, 
we  cannot  with  safety  go  200  yards  from  our  Fort. 

Whenever  fever  appears  here,  it  is  always  accompanied  by 
a  local  manifestation — in  the  shape  of  some  affection  of  a  weak 
point  in  the  economy  of  the  individual.  For  instance,  my 
present  attack  of  fever  was  ushered  in  by  a  sudden  lameness, 
acutely  affecting  my  left  knee,  which  became  quite  hot  and 
painful.  It  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  been  so  affected ; 
and,  at  first,  I  really  thought  that  the  case  was  a  local  affection 
of  the  knee ;  but  the  well-known  symptoms  of  fever,  which 
developed  with  it,  soon  satisfied  me  what  its  nature  w^as.  The 
attraction  to  this  knee  was  the  fact  that  I  have  suffered  from 
"  Hoy's  internal  derangement  of  the  knee-joint "  on  this  side. 

Sept.  29.—  .... 

Sept.  30. — The  last  of  September  lias  come  and  nearly 
gone,  and  yet  no  sign  of  the  arrival  of  Emin  Pasha.  My  boy 
is  a  thorough-bred  Zanzibar!  in  his  ways :  during  the  last  few 
days  he  has  stolen  my  only  comb  and  tootli-brush ;  and  wound 
up,  on  yesterday,  by  running  away  from  me.     However,  I  had 


1888.]  ■  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  275 

him  arrested  in  his  flight,  brought  back,  and  made  him  an 
oration.  He  then,  in  true  Zauzibari  fashion,  approached  with 
an  aspect  of  the  deepest  humility,  crouched  down,  and  kissed 
my  feet — an  abominable  habit  which  these  people  always 
practice  whenever  they  want  to  ingratiate  themselves  with 
one. 

Both  ourselves  and  the  Zanzibaris  have  beautifully  white 
teeth ;  I  am  afraid  that  the  fact  is  chiefly  due  to  the  want  of 
albuminous  food  (meat,  &c.),  as,  on  this  account,  there  is  a 
comparative  dearth  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  so  that  very 
little  black  colouring  matter  is  developed  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  teeth.  Under  such  circumstances,  there  is  not  much 
substantial  reason  to  pique  ourselves  on  a  small  element  of 
personal  comeliness,  which  has,  in  this  case,  been  purchased 
at  the  somewhat  high  price  of  chronic  starvation.  The  Zan- 
zibaris use  a  tooth-brush  daily,  which  they  manufacture  by 
cutting,  into  lengths  of  about  a  foot,  a  forest-shrub  which 
grows  here  to  about  the  thickness  of  one's  thumb.  The  stem 
is  of  a  very  fibrous,  woody  texture ;  and  they  teaze  it  out  at 
one  end,  so  that  it  acts  admirably.  The  Zanzibaris  are  cer- 
tainly very  careful  to  keep  their  teeth  clean.  I  wish  all  their 
l^ersonal  habits  were  as  worthy  of  commendation. 

Everything  is  very  still  at  the  Fort  to-day.  All  the  men, 
excepting  the  sentries,  are  away  in  search  for  food.  I  often 
wonder,  during  the  quiet  hours  of  thought,  how  things  are 
going  on  at  home,  although  not  actually  suffering  from 
nostalgia. 

We  tried  the  first  of  our  water-melons  yesterday;  but  it 
was  far  from  ripe.  Stairs  has  now  just  the  same  kind  of 
anthracoid  sore  from  which  Nelson  and  myself  have  just 
recovered.  They  are  small  in  size,  these  tumours,  but  have  a 
relatively  large  sloughing  core.  They  always  leave  a  depres- 
sion when  they  have  healed  up  :  this  is,  of  course,  a  physical 
necessity,  as  there  is  a  considerable  loss  of  subcutaneous 
areolar  tissue  by  sloughing ;  and  the  cicatrix,  adhering  as  it 
inevitably  does  to  the  deep  fascia,  produces  a  good  deal  of 
pitting.     They  always  leave  a  dark  spot. 

In  two  months  and  eighteen  days — i.e.,  a  little  betore 
Christmas — Mr.  Stanley  will  be  due  here.  We  are  now  settling- 
down  with  the  hope  of  his  arrival,  as  we  have  been  so  long 
looking  out  for  Emin  Pasha  and  Jephson,  that  we  do  not 

T  2 


276 


ExrEniE:scES  in  equatoiual  afeica.       [isss. 


think  there  is  much  use  in  expecting  anything  particular  from 
that  quarter  any  more. 

Oct.  1. — Our  boys  to-day  caught  a  snake,  seven  feet  nine 
inches  long ;  its  circumference  at  the  thickest  part  was  six 
inches.  It  was  of  a  slate-blue  colour  on  the  back,  and  a  dull 
yellow  along  the  ventral  aspect.  It  had  a  small  head  about 
one  inch  in  breadth.  There  were  no  fangs  that  I  could  find. 
It  was  covered  with  glistening  scales,  and  was  altogether  a 
graceful  specimen  of  its  kind.  My  little  pigmy  woman  skinned 
it  and  cut  it  up  into  small  pieces;  then  roasted  it  in  the 
tire,  and  has  just  eaten  some  of  the  flesh.  It  will  give  her  a 
supply  of  meat  for  several  days  to  come.  It  emitted  a  very 
savoury  odour  during  the  roasting  process ;  and,  had  it  not 
looked  so  repulsive,  I  would  have  been  strongly  tempted  to 
partake  of  some  myself.  We  have  now  had  no  meat  for  five 
weeks ;  the  highest  attempt  at  animal  food  we  hare  reached 
during  this  period  was  an  occasional  meal  of  fried  locusts ;  they 
are  caught  in  great  numbers  amongst  the  rice  ;  and,  \^  hen 
placed  on  the  frying  pan,  they  give  one  hop,  and  a  crack,  and 
are  cooked. 

Oct.  2. — We  white  men  weighed  ourselves  to-day ;  our 
respective  weights  compared  with  those  of  former  dates  are  as 
follows : — 


Date. 


^larch  23,  1887 
July  6,  1887  . 
October  2,  1888 


Nelson. 


176  lbs. 
150  „ 
110    „ 


Stairs. 


164  lbs. 
155  „ 
143    „ 


rarke. 


162  lbs. 
154  „ 
148    „ 


So  that,  since  we  left  the  Madura  we  liave  lost : — Nelson,  two- 
and-a-half  stones ;  Stairs,  one-and-a-half  stones ;  Parke,  exactly 
one  stone. 

Very  heavy  rain  fell  from  2  I'.m.  till  4  p.m.  to-day.  Last 
night  a  fire  broke  out  in  Mohammed  All's  hut,  but  was 
([uickly  extinguished.  The  elephants  have  again  visited  our 
bananas,  very  much  to  the  detriment  of  our  plantation.  This 
is  a  very  serious  matter  for  us,  as  the  ungainly  brutes  have  it 
quite  in  their  power  to  starve  us  out,  and  not  leave  a  particle 
of  food  in  the  place.     AVe  have  arranged  that  each  of  us,  in 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  277 

bis  turn,  is  to  take  out  a  party  of  men,  and  light  fires  here  and 
there  in  the  phmtation ;  as  the  smell  of  the  fire  and  smoke 
appears  to  be  the  only  thing  which  effectually  deters  these 
marauders  from  plundering  us. 

Oct.  3. — The  natives  rarely  use  pots  to  cook  their  food ; 
although  they  have  utensils  which  they  make  of  baked  clay,  and 
are  formed  similarly  to  our  ordinary  iron  pots  at  home.  They 
merely  roll  up  the  piece  of  meat,  fungus,  etc.,  in  a  banana  leaf, 
and  put  it  in  the  fire  to  be  roasted.  It  seems  to  be  an 
excellent  method  of  cooking  fish. 

To-day  I  commenced  giving  Stairs  and  Nelson  phosphorus, 
nux  vomica,  and  iron,  as  a  necessary  tonic,  on  account  of  their 
great  reduction  in  weight  and  general  debility.  I  don't  take 
anything  myself,  as  I  am  a  very  bad  hand  at  taking  medicine ; 
besides,  I  have  lost  comparatively  little  in  weight.  A  great 
deal  of  this  I  owe  to  the  attention  of  my  little  pigmy  woman,, 
who  collects  fruits,  leaves,  roots,  parasites,  and  insects  for  me,. 
which  she  knows  to  be  edible ;  so  that  I  am  saved  the  trouble 
of  gathering,  and  the  exhaustion  of  being  sickened  by  un- 
wholesome things.  Her  great  difficulty  is  being  unable  to 
conceal  these  eatables  from  the  ravenous  men,  who  would 
certainly  seize  them  from  her.  She  wanders  off  into  the 
foresi-  by  day ;  and  generally  manages  to  bring  her  collection 
to  me,  after  dark,  wrapped  in  a  plantain  leaf.  Her  costume  is 
so  limited,  poor  thing  ! — although  possessed  of  a  great  sen.se  of 
modesty  :  for  she  never  forgets  her  belt  of  rattan  cane  or  vino 
with  an  ornamental  knot  behind.  I  have  already  given  her  a 
handkerchief;  but  she  is  very  extravagant. 

Oct.  4. — Our  boys  went  off  for  bananas  to-day :  they 
saw  several  natives  thieving  in  our  banana  preserves;  and, 
when  chased,  the  latter  dropped  some  arrows  in  their  flight, 
which  my  boy  Muftah  gathered  up,  and  brought  me  to  the 
camp. 

Each  day  drags  along  very  drearily  now ;  we  have  come  to 
give  up  all  hopes  of  help  from  Emin  Pasha  and  Jephson,  and 
certainly  I  never  before  felt  so  keenly  the  truth  of  the  saying 
that  "  hope  deferred  maketh  the  heart  sick !  "  Emin's  house  is 
now  quite  dry  and  ready  :  if  he  would  only  come  in  and  take 
possession ! 

We  have  discovered  that  sitting  out  at  night  to  enjoy  the 
sky  and  stars  here  is  very  unhealthy,  so  we  three  whites  sit 


278  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA,  [1888. 

round  our  dim  fire  in  tlie  "  state  room  "  every  evening,  some- 
wliat  after  the  manner  of  the  weird  sisters  in  Macbeth,  and  try 
to  chatter  the  heavy  hours  away. 

The  peas  which  we  phxnted  four  days  ago  have  now  grown 
to  half  an  inch  above  ground.  Our  corn  crop  will,  I  fear,  be  a 
very  poor  one ;  I  think  the  seed  has  exhausted  itself.  The 
pumpkins  are  now  doing  well ;  although  a  good  many  of  them 
became  diseased  and  decayed  away,  when  they  had  grown  to 
about  the  size  of  a  teacup. 


(     279     ) 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

LIFE   AT   FORT   BODO. 

No  sigus  of  Emia  and  Jephson's  nrrival — One  of  our  donkeys  killed  for  food — 
Ferragi  puts  cayenne  pepper  into  his  eyes  in  order  to  avoid  work — Sudden 
death  of  Msongazi,  following  a  wound  by  a  poisoned  arrow — Remarks 
regarding  his  wound — Mv  donkey  is  killed — I  am  down  with  fever — 
Hamis  Pari's  abscess — The  right  place  to  enable  one  to  appreciate  the 
value  of  home  comforts — A  splendid  soil  for  bacteria  hunting — Lack  of 
European  provisions  for  over  twelve  mouths — Misunderstanding  between 
Nelson  and  Stairs — I  change  my  house — ]\Iy  boy  Muftah's  salary — 
Method  of  catching  fish  :  ])ecaliar  worms  in  the  sanje — Indistinct  vision, 
one  of  the  results  of  fever — Further  plots  of  the  men  to  get  to  Lake 
Albert — Stairs  is  also  laid  up  with  fever — Ingratitude  of  our  Zanzibaris 
— Summary  of  the  food  supplied  to  ISTelson  and  myself  at  Ipoto  by  the 
Mahyuema — Nelson  a  genuine  good-natured  fellow — Our  experience  of 
the  "  Dark  Continent  " — Twenty  days  of  bilious  remittent  fever — We 
talk  about  our  position — Stairs  a  great  favourite  with  the  men— Bad 
marksmanship  of  the  Zanzibaris — Our  corn  crop — A  sixth  variety  of 
"potato" — We  plant  corn  in  our  newdy-prepared  ground — Nelson's 
seedy  condition — I  decide  to  remove  the  arrow-liead  from  Stairs'  chest. 

Oct.  6. — It  is  now  four  montlis  to-day,  since  I  arrived  here 
from  the  Albert  Nyanza.  Oh,  but  the  time  does  pass  slowly 
and  heavily  !  The  Fort  is  filled  with  rats  and  crickets ;  which 
gnaw,  and  destroy  in  every  way,  what  rags  we  have  got  in  the 
way  of  clothes.  My  blanket  is  like  a  flour-dredger.  This 
day  twelve  months  we  got  to  Nelson's  "starvation  camp;" 
where  we  left  him,  with  fifty-six  men  and  a  large  number  of 
loads.  This  arena  of  former  misery  is  now  but  ten  days'  march 
from  here. 

This  prolonged  residence  on  a  diet  so  exclusively  vegetarian 
could  have  been  avoided  by  bringing  back  Emin  Pasha's 
carriers  on  returning  from  the  Lake.  However,  all  this  was 
done  for  the  best :  and  it  is  always  easy  to  make  suggestions 
on  retrospective  lines.  •'  For'ard  on,"  with  relief  to  Emin,  was 
always  the  first  incentive  prompted  by  the  "  too  late  "  disasters 
on  the  Nile.  And  now  that  we  have  accomplished  our  task  by 
handing  over  thirty-one  loads  of  ammunition  (containing  500 
rounds  each)  to  Emin — at  a  cost  of  the  lives  of  nearly  fifty 


280  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 

per  cent,  of  our  men,  we  certainly  do  think  it  strange  and 
unaccountable  that  he  has  not  at  least  communicated  with  us^ 
in  distress. 

Oct.  7. — The  remaining  donkey  was  unable  to  get  on  his  legs- 
this  morning,  from  the  effects  of  the  twofold  plague  of  hunger 
and  flies.  The  men  cut  his  throat  this  evening,  and  what 
meat  starvation  has  Jeft  on  the  poor  animal's  bones  will  be 
served  out  to-morrow  among  them. 

Oct.  8. — The  men  ate  their  donkey's  meat  to-day  with 
savage  greediness ;  the  cooking  consisted  in  barely  warming- 
it  over  a  fire.  I  have  got  the  tongue  for  my  share,  but  am 
fairly  puzzled  how  to  cook  it. 

Oct.  9. — Yesterday  I  had  the  donkey's  tongue  boiling- 
from  11  A.M.  till  5  p.m.,  but  I  did  not  eat  any  of  it,  as  I  had 
a  bad  attack  of  fever,  and  was  obliged  to  go  to  bed.  But  I 
was  better  this  morning,  and  had  some  for  breakfast,  and  a 
second  morsel  for  luncheon.  It  was  really  very  good :  as 
palatable  as  any  beef-tongue  I  have  ever  tasted.  Nelson,  who 
is  a  great  authority  on  cooking,  and  a  capital  judge  of  eatables 
generally,  says  that  it  was  excellent. 

One  of  our  Zanzibaris,  named  Ferragi,  came  to  me  this 
morning  complaining  of  sickness,  and  exhibiting  his  eyes  as- 
an  index  of  the  depressed  state  of  his  constitution.  These 
organs  were  red  and  watery — in  technical  phraseology,  he  was 
suffering  from  conjunctivitis  (with  the  usual  accompaniments 
of  increased  vascularity,  pain  and  tenderness,  photophobia^ 
and  lachrymation).  On  examining  him  closely,  however,  I 
found  that  the  reprobate  had  induced  this  condition  by 
putting  some  powdered  cayenne  pepper  into  his  eyes — this 
in  order  that  he  might  be  able  to  take  his  ease  all  day  in  his 
hut,  and  not  be  sent  to  any  kind  of  work. 

My  fever  has  come  on  this  evening  again,  and  I  feel  very 
seedy. 

Oct.  10, 11.—  ;  .  .  . 

Oct.  12. — This  morning,  Msongazi,  one  of  our  men,  went 
out  with  a  party  to  cut  poles  for  my  bed;  their  range  of 
excursion  did  not  extend  more  than  half  a  mile  from  our 
camp.  They  were  armed  with  Eemington  rifles.  At  9.20  a.m., 
Nelson  and  myself  heard  two  shots,  and  thought  that  they 
were  fired  by  Stairs,  who  was  on  the  look-out  for  elephants. 
However,  it  turned  out  not  to  be  so.     At  9.45  a.bl,  Msongazi 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  281 

came  back  to  camp,  with  a  punctured  wouud  in  the  right  infra- 
mammary  region  (just  below  the  nipple).  The  wound  was 
small,  and  almost  perfectly  circular ;  and  had  evidently  been 
made  by  a  wooden  arrow  :  but  the  nastiest  feature  about  it 
was  that  these  wooden  arrows  are  always  poisoned.  The 
weapon  had  penetrated  to  a  depth  of  about  half  an  inch,  but 
no  part  of  it  remained  in  the  wound,  which  I  carefully 
examined.  The  opening  had  been  sucked  by  one  of  his 
comrades,  both  immediately  after  the  receipt  of  the  injury,  and 
on  return  to  camp.  (This  I  had  instructed  all  the  men  to  do 
whenever  one  of  their  companions  was  wounded  witli  an  arrow.) 
They  do  not,  however,  perform  the  sucking  operation  well ;  as 
they  are  always  greatly  frightened  by  the  idea  of  poison.  I 
touched  the  whole  of  the  raw  surface  with  nitrate  of  silver.  The 
man  was  greatly  alarmed  about  himself;  and,  accordingly,  very 
nervous  and  anxious.  I'his  was,  however,  his  natural  humour  : 
he  shrieked,  and  made  a  great  fuss  about  himself,  when  he 
received  a  wound  on  a  former  occasion  (when  on  the  plains). 
He  went  into  his  hut,  and  said  that  there  was  no  pain  in  the 
wound.  He  carried  his  rifle  and  bandoleer  with  him,  and 
appeared  quite  as  strong  as  usual;  but  he  was  evidently 
suffering  intensely  from  suppressed  mental  emotion,  and 
depressing  anxiety  about  the  consequences  of  his  wound.  He 
asked  me  for  some  salt,  which  he  fancied  would  do  him  good ; 
so  I  gave  it  to  him.  After  four  minutes,  I  was  sent  for  to  see 
him;  he  had  been  vomiting.  Nothing  had  come  from  the 
stomach  but  a  thin  watery-looking  fluid ;  but  he  was  terribly 
agitated,  and  anxious  about  his  condition.  I  had  him  placed 
at  once  on  his  back.  When  laid  down,  he  immediately  rolled 
round,  on  to  his  face,  and  his  breathing  became  stertorous. 
The  tongue  was  thrust  out,  but  he  did  not  bite  it.  The  whole 
body  became  rigid,  the  conjunctiva  lost  sensibility,  the  pulse 
became  imperceptible,  and  the  respiratory  movements  were 
represented  by  an  occasional  inspiratory  gasp.  I  dashed  cold 
water  on  him,  and  clapped  his  face  and  hands ;  but  he  made  no 
attempt  to  rally,  and  he  expired  about  six  minutes  after  I  had 
laid  him  on  his  back.  He  had  spoken  sensibly  and  clearly  about 
eight  minutes  before  he  died.  From  the  time  of  the  receipt 
of  the  wound,  an  hour  and  twenty  minutes  had  elapsed.  The 
weight  of  opinion  in  this  case,  naturally,  was  that  the  fatal 
result  was  due  to  the  action  of  the  poison  absorbed ;  but  of 


282  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 

this  view  I  have  the  strongest  doubts.  I  am  more  than 
inclined  to  believe  that  a  blood-vessel  burst  within  the  brain, 
as  the  result  of  his  intense  mental  emotion.  His  face  and 
breathing  indicated  such  a  condition,  his  agitation  was  so 
great  as  to  lead  to  almost  any  conceivable  change  in  the 
cerebral  circulation,  and  his  age  and  physique  were  such  as 
would  point  to  such  a  result.  He  was  short,  stout,  and  fat, 
with  a  big  head,  short  thick  neck,  and  protuberant  abdomen. 
Under  the  circumstances,  I  would  have  liked  greatly  to  have 
a  post-mortem  examination ;  but  the  men  informed  me  that 
his  brother  was  with  the  rear  column,  and  it  would  be  necessary 
to  obtain  his  leave.  However,  I  do  not  think  that  the  exis- 
tence of  this  obstacle  would  have  been  enough  to  prevent  me, 
had  I  not  to  meet  the  more  potent  personal  argument  of  my 
own  bodily  temperature,  which  was  at  103^  F.  I  am  also  well 
jaundiced — as  yellow  as  a  guinea,  and  felt  more  like  bed 
than  trying  to  solve  an  obscure  problem  in  cerebral  pathology. 

JMsongazi  was  buried  this  evening. 

Oct.  13. — My  donkey  was  killed  to-day  ;  it  was  well — in 
more  senses  than  one — as  the  poor  animal  had  been  gradually 
perishing  of  inanition.  Nelson  and  Stairs  have  had  the  kid- 
neys stewed ;  they  boiled  the  tongue,  but  I  cannot  take  any 
of  it  as  my  fever  is  still  raging — this  is  the  sixth  day.  I 
reject  everything  I  take — well  coloured  with  bile.  I  am  really 
very  seedy  now,  and  have  few  remedies  or  stimulants  left 
from  the  expedition :  excepting  some  medicines,  the  sight  of 
which  I  detest.  Nelson  and  Stairs  are  both  very  kind  to  me ; 
they  make  a  sort  of  gruel  by  sifting  out  the  husks  of  the 
Indian  corn,  and  I  try  as  best  I  can  to  prolong  a  tedious  exis- 
tence on  this  pabulum. 

Stairs  issued  rations  of  our  corn  for  the  first  time  to-day — 
at  the  rate  of  ten  heads  per  week  to  each  man. 

Oct.  14.— To-day  I  dressed  and  sat  up  for  an  hour  or  so — to 
let  the  place  got  an  airing,  and  be  thoroughly  cleaned  and 
swept  out ;  which  could  not  be  done  while  I  lay  in  bed.  I  was 
helped  out  to  the  men's  quarters,  whore  I  opened  a  large 
abscess  for  Ilamis  Pari.  I  was  not  able  walk  a  step  by 
myself;  but  I  thought  it  better  to  be  brought  to  him  than 
have  him  brought  to  me  ;  for  in  the  latter  event,  I  would 
never  have  heard  the  end  of  the  story  of  his  sufferings — in 
having  to  walk  fifty  yards  to  have  an  operation  performed 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO,  283 

on  him.  I  was  carried  back  to  my  bed  by  Nelson  and 
Stairs. 

This  is  certainly  the  right  place  to  enable  one  to  appreciate 
the  value  of  home  comforts.  My  boy,  Muftah — let  a  British 
home-resident  imagine  such  a  being  if  he  can — does  everythinr/ 
ivrong ;  when  I  tell  him,  as  I  always  do,  to  have  all  water 
boiled  for  drinking,  he  invariably  informs  me  it  is  boiling 
vigorously ;  when  I  send  him  to  fetch  some,  he  tells  me  that 
it  has  boiled  over,  or  spilt  in  carrying,  or  some  other  way — he 
always  has  some  such  idiotic  excuse  to  give.  When  my 
fever  is  commencing,  I  am  always  so  much  annoyed  by  him 
that  I  feel  inclined  to  punch  him.  When  the  fever  is 
over  he  is  immediately  forgiven,  and  is  re-established  as  my 
factotum. 

For  the  last  week  my  evening  temperature  has  been  104°  F. 
every  day ;  I  am  still  as  yellow  as  a  guinea,  and  the  renal 
secretion  contains  both  bile  and  blood,  which  give  it  a  dark 
claret  colour.  I  have,  of  course,  grown  very  thin  and  feeble, 
and  totter  when  I  attempt  to  stand  on  my  legs.  I  sometimes 
Avonder  whether  the  pathologists  at  home  have  up  to  the  present 
settled  the  much-disputed  question  as  to  whether  all  this  biliary 
j)igment  really  pre-exists  in  the  blood — an  assertion  which  I 
couid  never  bring  myself  to  believe — or,  whether  it  is  wholly 
(or  ]3artly)  separated  in  the  liver.  Also,  whether  the  parasitic 
body  which  had  been  described  in  the  red  blood-corpuscles  of 
malarial  fever,  are  the  true  disintegrators  of  the  latter,  and,  if  so, 
how  they  perform  this  mischievous  function ;  or  to  what  factors 
in  the  miasmatic  atmosphere  they  themselves  owe  their  origin. 
When  I  left  the  lands  of  science  and  civilisation  they  were 
discussing  these  questions  vigorously ;  if  I  ever  get  home,  I 
think  I  will  suggest  to  the  scientific  institutions  the  de- 
sirability of  planting  one  or  more  scientific  pathologists  in  the 
heart  of  Africa.  They  ought  to  bear  good  fruit ;  it  is  certainly 
a  splendid  soil  for  bacteria-hunting. 

Oct.  15. — I  was  up  during  the  greater  part  of  the  day 
to-day ;  but  felt  very  weak,  and  had  no  appetite.  I  took  a 
little  nourishment,  consisting  of  a  watery  gruel,  made  from 
Indian-corn  meal.  I  am  of  a  greeny-yellowy  colour,  not  of  a 
precisely  aesthetic  tinge.  I  have  a  terrible  gastric  craving  for 
fish,  or  bacon  and  eggs :  not  much  chance  of  my  having  this 
appetite  indulged !     Nelson  and  Stairs  partook  to-day  of  a 


284  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.  [188S. 

luncheon  made  of  the  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit  of  the  pumpkin 
— all  mashed  up  together.  We  have  now  been  for  over  a 
year  without  tea,  coffee,  or  any  European  viands  of  any  kind 
to  partake  of — a  subject  on  which  I  feel  somewhat  bitterly  in 
my  present  condition. 

I  am  filling  up  my  time  by  reading  Shakespeare  and 
Allibone's  Quotations.  The  former,  with  the  Bible,  and 
Whittaker's  large  edition,  are  the  best  books  for  Africa  when 
transport  is  limited. 

Oct.  16. — I  felt  better  this  morning ;  rose  early,  and  saw 
all  the  sick.  There  are  but  twelve  on  the  invalid  list  now ; 
this  is  a  decided  improvement,  as  there  were  twenty-five  a 
couple  of  months  ago.  Since  Mr.  Stanley  set  off  to  recover 
the  rear-column,  we  have  had  seven  deaths ;  another  is  just 
going  now.  I  feel  far  from  well  myself,  but  am  improving  a 
good  deal ;  the  incessant'vomiting  has  ceased,  and  the  jaundice 
is  certainly  diminishing. 

Nelson  this  morning  accused  Stairs  of  giving  our  onions  to 
the  men :  he  acknowledged  having  given  two.  This  was 
certainly  a  good  opportunity  for  repartee,  not  merely  from 
its  aspect  as  a  question  of  courtesy,  but  as  it  indicated  a 
want  of  tact.  Stairs  should  have  asked  Nelson  and  myself, 
as  we  have,  goodness  knows,  few  enough  of  these  dainties  to 
comfort  ourselves  with.  These  misunderstandings  always 
indicate  an  approaching  attach  of  fever.  No  three  men  could 
possibly  have  been  greater  friends  than  we  otherwise  have 
been  all  through. 

Oct.  17. — My  fever  still  burns,  although  not  so  high.  IMy 
temperature  runs  up  every  afternoon,  and  never  falls  to  the 
normal,  even  during  the  night.  I  am  glad  to  say,  however, 
that  the  amount  of  illness  among  the  men  is  decreasing  pretty 
rapidly.  It  is  now  four  months  (yesterday)  since  Mr.  Stanley 
left  us  here.     My  pigmy  woman  ate  four  snake's  eggs  to-day.. 

The  elephants  have  been  very  mischievous  during  the  past 
few  days ;  breaking  down  trees,  and  eating  the  fruit  in  our 
banana  plantations.  Accordingly,  the  men  went  scouting, 
both  yesterday  and  to-day — to  light  large  fires  here  and  there 
in  the  banana  })lantations. 

I  changed  my  quarters  yesterday — from  the  t)ld,  damp,  low, 
draughty  house  which  I  had  been  occupying,  to  the  new  on© 
which  was  built  for  Emin  Pasha.      The   latter   is   certainly 


1888.]  ■  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  285 

much  more  sanitary  in  size,  structure,  and  position :  still  I 
have  ah-eady  discovered  that  it  admits  the  rain  through  ^ve 
independent  orifices. 

Oct.  18. — Twelve  months  exactly  have  now  elapsed  since 
we  first  got  to  the  Manyuema  camp — about  eight  days  from 
here ;  and,  ever  since,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  weeks  on 
the  plain,  we  have  been  farming  and  fasting  in  the  forest. 
Stairs  went  out  to-day  with  a  few  men,  and  made  some  fires  to 
frighten  the  elephants  away  from  our  bananas  ;  he  saw  a  few 
of  them  hovering  about. 

My  temj)erature  is  down  to  101  •  4^  F.  to-day ;  but  this  is 
still  far  enough  from  health ;  and  I  am  not  able  to  walk  more 
than  a  couple  of  hundred  yards  at  a  stretch. 

There  has  been  a  great  deal  of  rain  during  the  night.  My 
boy,  Muftah,  who  is  slave  to  Mohammed  Een  Said  of  Zanzibar, 
tells  me  that  when  he  went  to  engage  with  Mr.  Mackenzie 
(agent  for  the  Expedition),  he  received — in  company  with  all 
the  porters — five  months'  pay  in  advance.  This  amounted  to 
£5,  and  he  was  obliged  to  hand  this  sum,  with  the  exception 
of  six  rupees,  over  to  his  master  before  leaving.  I  have  also 
been  informed  that  the  Sultan  of  Zanzibar  made  an  order  to 
the  efi'ect  that,  of  all  the  money  earned  by  the  slave,  half  is  to 
be  r-etained  by  the  latter,  the  other  half  made  over  to  the 
owner. 

Oct.  19. — This  morning  I  found  two  worms  in  a  small  fish ; 
they  were  each  eight  inches  in  length,  white  in  colour,  of  a 
somewhat  glistening,  silky  appearance,  and  furnished  with 
minute  ringlets  on  the  surface.  There  was  no  attempt  at 
segmentation  of  the  body ;  the  head  was  bulbous,  and  fur- 
nished with  a  small  projecting  snout.  The  form  of  the  trunk 
was  flattened,  and  it  tapered  slightly  towards  the  caudal 
extremity.  It  was  rather  lively  in  its  movements,  exhibiting 
considerable  power  of  expansion  and  contraction.  After  re- 
moval from  the  intestine  of  the  fish,  each  worm  lived  for  two 
hours,  and  was  constantly  raising  its  head  to  a  line  per- 
pendicular to  that  of  the  body. 

Our  boys  catch  their  fish  in  a  cone-shaped  basket — some- 
what like  a  lobster-basket,  in  which  some  corn,  or  other  food, 
has  been  placed  to  serve  as  a  bait.  When  once  in  they  are 
unable  to  find  their  way  out. 

Oct.  20—  .... 


286  EXPFAIIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

Oct.  21. — On  Friday  (the  day  before  yesterday)  I  had  fever 
as  usual,  the  period  of  highest  temperature  being  the  interval 
between  1  and.  6  p.m.  There  was  then  a  remission,  which  was 
followed  by  a  similar  paroxysm  at  8  p.m.  Yesterday  I  had  a 
corresponding  attack  of  the  fever  at  1  P.m.,  but  the  second 
paroxysm  did.  not  occur.  To-day  I  feel  greatly  weakened  by 
these  incessant  onsets  of  pyrexia ;  I  take  thirty  grains  of 
quinine,  morning  and  evening,  when  the  temperature  is  low  ; 
but  I  expect  that  I  will  not  be  able  to  shake  off  tliis  fever  till 
I  get  some  strengthening  food,  and  here  we  have  nothing  but 
herbs  and  Indian  corn. 

During  the  last  few  days  I  have  observed  that  vision  is 
indistinct  in  my  left  eye — everything  looks  hazy,  with  a 
confusedly  indistinct  appearance.  I  think  I  must  have  burst 
a  small  blood-vessel  during  the  straining  of  the  stomach.  This 
morning,  when  I  asked  my  boy  for  a  change  of  dry  clothes — as 
mine  were  drenched  with  perspiration — he  gave  me  others 
which  were  simply  dripping ;  the  latter  he  had  put  carefully 
by  in  a  bag,  where  they  had  been  soaked  with  rain,  and  had 
never  dried  them,  or  attempted  to. 

The  men  are  again  plotting  together  how  they  are  to  get  to 
the  lake.  There  are  only  twenty  strong  individuals  among 
them.  The  rest  are  all  debilitated  from  ulcers,  with  anemia 
and  palpitation,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree.  If  they  were  all 
in  vigorous  condition,  they  certainly  would  start  off  at  once  to 
the  Albert  Nyanza ;  and  leave  us  whites  here  to  do  what  we 
could  with  our  loads.  Such  is  the  reliability  of  the  Zanzibari 
character. 

Oct.  22,  23.—  .... 

Oct.  24. — I  have  not  been  able  to  write  anything  for  the 
last  couple  of  days,  I  have  been  so  weakened  by  my  fever. 
It  comes  on  every  day,  about  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock  (noon), 
with  a  temperature  of  103°  F.,  which  continues  till  about  1  p.m., 
Avhen  it  falls  to  the  normal  level.  There  seems  to  be  no  ending 
to  this  fever:  quinine  has,  apparently,  no  antidotal  power; 
and  I  am  fairly  burnt  up  by  the  combustion  that  is  going  on 
within  me.  The  result  is  that  I  am  as  pale  as  a  sheet,  from 
hiematuria  ;  giddy,  from  ana3mia  and  debility  ;  and  unable  to 
walk  more  than  a  hundred  yards  without  resting.  It  is  now 
the  sixteenth  day  of  this  fever. 

Stairs  has  had  an  attack  of  fever  which  lasted  two  days. 


18B8.]  ■         LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  287 

I  examined  bis  side  yesterday,  and  sncceeded  in  catching  hold 
of  the  arrow  head  ;  which  is  firmly  lodged,  so  that  it  cannot  be 
removed  without  a  good  deal  of  cutting.  This  cannot  be  done 
without  using  an  anaesthetic,  as  he  is,  naturally,  anxious  and 
jumpy  when  I  fiddle  with  the  wound,  so  I  told  him  that  when 
I  grow  a  little  stronger  I  will  do  this,  and  operate :  I  first 
suggested  the  local  use  of  cocaine,  but  he  prefers  chloroform. 
Nelson  sees  my  sick  every  day  for  me ;  yesterday,  I  proceeded 
to  see  them  myself,  but  had  to  give  up  the  work,  as  I  was  too 
sick  and  weak.  It  is  bad  enough  to  be  in  such  a  condition 
anywhere ;  but  here  it  is  positively  cruel  to  be  unable  to  do 
anything  amid  sucli  surroundings  :  I  having  for  my  attendants 
a  Zanzibar!  boy  (about  fourteen  years  of  age),  and  my  little 
pigmy,  who  really  deserves  the  "  Eoyal  Eed  Cross,"  as  she  is 
a  most  excellent  nurse.  I  am  obliged  to  get  Stairs'  boy — 
another  barbarian  of  about  twelve  or  fourteen  years  old,  to 
cook  my  corn  and  herbs — the  only  nourishment  we  can  procure. 
As  an  example  of  the  ingratitude  of  these  Zanzibaris  (who  are 
really  a  mongrel  race)  I  may  record  the  fact  that,  although  I 
have  attended  them  all  through  as  carefully  as  I  could,  and  have, 
up  to  the  present,  given  medicine  daily  to  about  twenty  of  the 
men  here,  there  are  only  two  who  have  had  the  kindness  to 
ask  me  how  I  felt  during  these  sixteen  days  of  illness.  If 
Jephson  is  in  any  way  the  cause  of  the  delay  in  coming  to 
rescue  us,  and  bring  us  to  the  lake,  he  is  certainly  very  much 
to  blame ;  for  he  knows  from  experience  that  the  white'  man 
cannot  complete  an  average  existence  of  more  than  about  six 
months  on  herbs  and  mohindi.  Also,  a  serious  difficulty  is 
that  the  men  are  full  of  the  idea  of  going  to  the  lake,  as  ]\Ir. 
Stanley  had  informed  them  of  Emin's  promises.  Accordingly, 
theij  are  quite  read]/  and  willing  to  desert  us  at  any  time,  and  the 
only  piece  of  (questionable)  good  fortune  that  prevents  them 
from  dashing  off  and  leaving  us  white  men  to  ourselves,  is 
that  so  many  of  them  are  invalided  by  their  ulcers,  that  the 
tolerably  healthy  ones  are  not  in  sufficient  force  to  fight  their 
way.  My  usual  time  for  breakfast,  when  I  am  able  to  physi- 
cally persuade  the  boy,  is  7.30  a.m.  ;  to-day,  not  being  able  to 
perform  this  essential  operation,  I  had  my  breakfast  served 
up  at  11  A.M. 

The  following  list  of  provisions  exhibits  all  that  was  supplied 
to  Nelson,  myself,  and  three  servants,  during  the  period  of 


288  ;  EXI'ERIENCES  IN  EQUATOniAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

eighty-five  days — between  the  3rd  of  November  1887,  and  the 
26th  of  January,  1888 — which  we  spent  at  Ipoto  : — 

Cups  of  meal    ........  37 

Heads  of  corn  ........  178 

Fowls      .........  4 

Cups  of  rice 22 

Fish  (small)    ........  4 

Cups  of  beans  ........  Og 

„       corn  (half  pounded)        .....  2.i 

Goat 1 

In  addition  to  the  above,  we  twice  received  a  small  quantity 
of  cooked  meat  and  rice  ;  and,  on  two  other  occasions,  a  little 
<3urry  powder  and  salt. 

From  the  under  chiefs,  to  whom  we  gave  presents,  we 
received : 

Fowls 4 

Heads  of  corns  .......        70 

Cups  of  meal    ........         G 

Honey    .......       One-half  a  cup 

Meat       .....  Half  a  shoulder-blade  of  goat 

Noussoir  (pounded  ants)    ....  One  cup-full 

Accordingly,  the  total  number  of  cupsfull  received  was  111 — 
including  meal,  rice,  beans,  shelled-corn,  &c. — which  represents 
one  and  one-third  cups  per  diem  to  be  distributed  between 
Nelson,  myself,  and  our  three  boys,  during  the  whole  of  the 
time  that  we  were  at  Ipoto.  Before  Nelson  arrived  at  Ipoto, 
Ismailia  had  given  me  little  or  no  food ;  he  gave  me  one  dead 
goat,  which  Mr.  Stanley  afterwards  told  me  was  diseased,  and 
had  died.  They  cut  its  throat  after  death,  and  then  brought 
it  to  me  as  a  generous  present.  It  was  devoured  at  one  sitting 
— by  myself  and  thirty  sick  men.  We  hardly  waited  to  con- 
sider the  question  whether  the  meat  was  in  a  proper  condition 
to  function  as  a  good  and  wholesome  article  of  diet. 

Oct.  25,  26.—.  .  .  . 

Oct.  27. — During  the  past  couple  of  days  I  have  not  been 
able  to  write,  but  felt  more  inclined  to  get  Nelson  or  Stairs  to 
draw  up  my  last  will  and  testament.  On  yesterday — as  usual, 
at  11  A.M.  to  tlie  minute,  my  temperature  began  to  rise,  and 
soon  reached  104°  F.  I  felt  terribly  exhausted,  and  w^as 
hardly  able  to  crawl  back  to  bed  from  the  place  where  I  had 
been  sitting.  During  the  day  I  took  about  90  grains  of 
quinine  ;  I  had  taken  still  more  on  the  previous  day.  I  have 
now  given  up  quinine  altogether,  and  taken  to  arsenic. 


1888.]  •  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  289 

JSTelson  really  is  a  genuine,  good-natured  fellow — one  of  the 
kindest  I  have  ever  met.  He  boiled  up  a  number  of  small  fish 
with  some  onions  for  me  to-day,  and  made  me  some  excellent 
soup  therefrom — the  best  I  have  had  for  a  very  long  time 
indeed  :  I  had  almost  said  for  ages,  time  does  imss  so  sloivly  noiv ! 
I  have  taken  a  great  dislike  to  my  usual  source  of  nutriment, 
i.e.,  pasturing  on  corns  and  herbs  :  our  Irish  pigs  at  home 
would  have  turned  up  their  noses  against  it  long  ago.  We 
have  had  no  meat  now  for  two  months  (dating  from  to-day) 
excepting  two  donkey's  tongues  and  a  couple  of  kidneys,  which 
were  distributed  among  three  of  us.  From  what  we  have 
seen  of  Africa  on  this  Expedition,  it  appears  to  offer  nothing 
but  fatigue,  famine,  and  farming ;  the  only  scope  which  the 
"  Dark  Continent "  appears  to  present  to  aspiring  ambition  is 
for  the  special  professions  of  ivory  hunter,  missionary,  trades- 
man, and  agriculturist. 

On  this  day  twelvemonth  Mr.  Stanley  left  the  Manyuema 
camp — about  eight  or  ten  days'  march  from  here — to  proceed 
to  the  Albert  Nyanza  and  find  Emin  Pasha.  What  a  waste 
of  time  since  then  ! — and  all  owing  to  the  Pasha's  not  steaming 
down  to  meet  us  at  the  south  end  of  the  lake,  although  he 
knew  we  were  coming,  and  we  arrived  at  the  appointed 
rendezvous  a  day  before  our  time. 

My  fever  is  diminishing,  I  take  six  tahloids  of  arsenic  daily 
(^'q  of  a  grain  in  each),  and  my  temperature  has  not  gone  above 
100°  F.  since  I  took  to  this  medicine :  last  night  I  took  some 
calomel  and  podophyllin. 

Oct.  28. — My  temperature  is  normal  to-day,  but  I  feel  very 
weak  and  exhausted  :  I  took  four  arsenical  tabloids  at  9  p.m. 
to-night.  The  sentries  heard  some  disturbance  going  on  in 
our  cornfield  last  night,  and  fired  several  shots  in  among  the 
corn.  They  said  that  they  thought  the  noise  was  made  by 
some  natives  who  had  come  thieving  ;  but  there  were  no  tracks 
of  human  beings  found,  on  searching  in  the  morning.  Stairs 
told  me  that  there  were  foot-prints  something  like  those  of  the 
buffalo.  The  rains  are  diminishing.  My  mind  is  continually 
wandering  to  the  subject  of  good  dinners,  &c.,  &c.  We  three 
white  men  gather  together  every  evening  after  dark  in  my 
house  to  have  a  general  chat ;  but  before  five  minutes  have 
passed,  food  is  sure  to  have  formed  the  central  topic  of  con- 
versation.    I  will  take  up  another  " Eelief "  like  this  "when 

u 


290  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

the  pigs  begin  to  fly  " :  it  is  by  far  the  most  severe  and  heart- 
breaking time  I  have  ever  spent.  I  often  try  to  compare  it 
with  the  Gordon  Belief  Expedition  up  the  Nile  ;  but  there  is 
no  comparison,  only  an  indefinite  analogy. 

Oct.  29. — I  am  again  free  from  fever  to-day ;  so  I  hope  to 
have  no  return  of  it  for  some  time.  I  have  now  had  bilious 
remittent  hsematuric  fever — a  most  dangerous  form  of  malarial 
fever — for  twenty  days  in  succession.  For  fifteen  days  of  these 
twenty,  my  temperature  at  5  p.m.  has  always  been  over 
104°  F.  I  am  now  dosing  myself  with  quinine,  strychnine, 
and  arsenic,  from  which  I  expect  to  derive  a  good  deal  of 
benefit,  as  my  fever  has  disappeared  at  last. 

Oct.  30. — I  am  still  free  from  fever,  but  remain  as  limp  as 
possible.  If  I  walk  a  hundred  yards  I  am  ready  to  fall  on  all 
fours  from  exhaustion,  and  break  out  into  a  profuse  per- 
spiration. Last  night  we  had  a  talk  about  our  position ;  and 
we  all  three  agreed  in  strongly  condemning  Jephson  and  the 
Pasha  for  their  delay  in  not  coming  to  relieve  us.  If  he  or 
llr,  Stanley  do  not  come  to  relieve  us  before  a  couple  of 
months,  they  will  certainly  have  to  carry  a  couple  or  three  of 
us  white  men  away  with  them,  even  if  we  are  able  to  hold  on 
to  life  till  then. 

Some  men  were  sent  out  after  natives  to-day  ;  they  fired  a 
few  shots ;  but,  as  usual,  hurt  nobody.  We  are  convinced 
that  something  strange  must  have  occurred  in  the  Pasha's 
Province,  or  else  Jephson  would  surely  have  come  to  us. 

Oct.  31. — To-day  Ave  have  employed  a  new  cook,  Hassani, 
an  old  patient  of  mine,  who  is  hardly  able  to  walk.  Our 
former  cook  was  a  savage  native,  who  could  never  get  rid 
of  the  idea  that  warming  vegetables  was  quite  as  good  as 
boiling  them.  Muftah  and  the  little  pigmy  look  after  me 
alone.  We  do  not  care  about  having  another  man,  as  most 
of  them  have  ulcers ;  also  from  the  consideration  that  Stairs 
is  always  dreaming  and  worrying  himself  with  the  idea  that 
we  have  seven  men  or  so  working  for  us ;  he  alone  being  able  to 
reckon  up  the  number.  He  is  a  most  enthusiastic  farmer,  is  a 
great  favourite  with  the  men,  and  there  is  no  better  command- 
ant. He  gets  up  to  visit  the  sentries  at  least  twice  every  night. 

Nov.  1. — The  corn  has  been  picked  to-day.  It  was  ripe 
about  a  week  ago ;  it  is  a  very  bad  crop,  the  weather  has  been 
very  wet,  and  the  heads  had  dropped.     Nine  men  went  out  on 


1888.]  ■        LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  291 

ruga-ruga  to-day  ;  they  fired  eight  shots  at  an  elephant  with 
the  usual  Zanzibari  result ;  much  blood — which  no  one  could 
see  exce^it  the  parties  chiefly  concerned.  One  man  confidently 
asserted  that  he  had  hit  the  tumho  (belly)  of  the  animal.  If 
an  elephant  were  as  big  as  the  largest  liaystack  ever  made,  and 
all  the  Zanzibaris  were  allowed  to  fire  at  it  from  a  distance  of 
200  yards,  I  would  bet  my  last  pyjamas  that  not  one  of  them 
would  hit  it :  (N.B.)  it  must  be  remembered  that  this  garment 
is  quite  unserviceable. 

My  boy  caught  eleven  small  fish  to-day — each  from  half  to 
one  inch  in  length.  They  form  a  very  good  kitawayo  (condi- 
ment) ;  with  forest  fruits  and  scalded  Indian  meal. 

Kov.  2, — The  corn  has  all  been  picked  off  the  large  field — 
about  four  acres  in  extent.  The  crop,  however,  has  been  but  a 
poor  one,  on  account  of  the  great  hail  storm;  and  we  have 
gathered  but  seventy  baskets,  of  100  heads  each.  This 
quantity,  although  it  represents  but  a  wretched  result  of  our 
labour,  it  is  well  to  have  taken  in ;  for  the  natives  might  come 
at  any  time,  on  one  of  their  usual  prowling  expeditions,  and 
take  it  all  away. 

I  have  made  an  ivory  handle  for  my  knife  (of  hippo  tusk)  ; 
the  old  kitchen  bone  handle  had  dropped  off  for  want  of  use. 

NoY.  3. — Nine  men  went  out  scouting  to-day — to  Avarn  off 
elephants  and  natives.  Our  farm  is  being  hoed  up  again, 
to  prepare  it  for  another  crop  of  corn.  Wherever  a  tree 
has  been  burnt,  and  the  potash  salts  remain  in  the  ground, 
the  corn  or  beans  won't  take.  The  corn  is  a  four-months' 
crop  here ;  the  beans  a  two  and  a  half  months'. 

My  pigmy  woman  brought  me  this  morning  another  sort 
of  root  to  eat ;  it  is  new  to  me,  and  tastes  more  like  potato 
than  anything  else.  This  is  the  sixth  variety  of  lootato  I 
have  been  introduced  to  during  my  sojourn  in  the  forest. 

Twelve  months  ago,  by  this  day,  Nelson  arrived  at  Ipoto 
from  his  starvation  camp — a  bag  of  bones  covered  by  ulcerated 
skin — after  his  twenty-three  days  of  almost  absolute  privation 
of  food  :  weighing  about  130  lbs. 

Nov.  4. — The  men  are  off  on  a  banana-hunt  to-day ;  a  few 
went  to  catch  fish  in  a  river  about  eight  miles  from  here. 
They  usually  get  about  eight  fish  j)er  man,  varying  from  one 
to  four  inches  in  length.  My  boy  Muftah  has  fever  to-day ; 
and,  like  all  sick  negroes,  thinks  he  is  going  to  die. 

u  2 


292  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA. 

Nov.  5. — Guy  Fawkes  day!  We  are  the  Guys  on  the- 
present  occasion.  Muftah's  fever  continues ;  his  temperature 
was  104°  this  afternoon. 

N-Qv.  6,  7.—.  .  .  . 

Nov.  8. — The  men  are  phinting  corn  to-day  in  the  newly- 
prepared  ground,  from  which  the  old  corn  had  been  taken 
up.  Three  grains  are  planted  at  the  angles  of  an  equilateral 
triangle — so  •  .  • ,  and  this  is  repeated  at  intervals  of  two  feet. 
In  our  former  crop,  all  three  grains  were  set  in  a  single  hole ; 
but  a  tornado  easily  blows  the  stalk  over,  as  it  has  but  a 
slight  hold  on  so  small  a  base.  The  three  separated,  as  above, 
will  give  better  and  firmer  grip  on  the  soil.  This  is  Stairs' 
idea — it  is  mathematical ;  and,  I  hoj)e,  accurate. 

Nelson  is  looking  very  seedy — from  repeated  attacks  of 
fever.  He  is  now  reduced  to  136  lbs.  in  weight ;  four  lbs.  less 
than  when  we  weighed  last  month.  When  leaving  England,, 
he  weighed  176  lbs. 

The  fates  seem  to  be  opposed  to  our  getting  any  meat,  of 
any  kind  whatever — to-day  I  missed  three  shots  at  a  monkey. 
Stairs  does  not  require  it  so  much  as  his  confreres,  for  he  has 
a  digestion  like  that  of  an  ostrich.  There  were  very  heavy 
rains  yesterday.  Muftah  has  scalded  his  foot  with  boiling 
water,  and  is  perfectly  useless  to  me. 

I  had  a  talk  with  Stairs  this  afternoon  on  the  subject  of 
his  wound,  and  we  decided  that  he  is  to  be  put  under  the 
influence  of  chloroform  on  Sunday  next  (11th  inst.),  and  that 
I  am  to  cut  down  and  remove  the  arrow-head,  which  has  now^ 
been  imbedded  in  his  chest-wall  for  a  period  of  fourteen 
months.  Nelson,  who  is  a  clever  assistant,  will  administer 
the  chloroform  ;  my  pigmy  woman  will  be  close  at  hand, 
with  the  bandages  and  dressings  : — and,  if  any  resuscitating 
agent,  such  as  ammonia,  be  required,  she  can  emit  a  modified 
form  at  the  shortest  notice.  This  perfume  is  a  peculiar 
speciality  of  hers :  she  can  wade  in  the  deepest  rivers  without 
effect ;  whenever  the  rain  comes,  I  invariably  get  her  to  stand 
opposite  my  front  door  and  wash  for  ten  minutes,  but  it  still 
remains  as  before. 

Nov.  9.—  .... 


(     293     ) 


CHAPTER  XV. 

LIFE    AT   FOKT   BODO. 

Successful  operation  on  Lieutenant  Stairs — Removal  of  the  arrow-head — 
Eochard's  division  of  wounds  complicated  by  the  introduction  of  toxic 
substances — Poisoned  wounds  one  of  the  terrors  of  warfare — The  efficacy 
of  vep;etable  arrovz-poisons  questioned  by  some  of  the  earlier  apostles  of 
modern  surgery  —  My  experience  of  arrow-poisons  —  Native  dogs  — 
Jephson's  delay  unaccountable— Stairs  progresses  favourably  towards 
recovery — Our  process  of  shaving — Stairs'  notes  on  Mr.  Stanley's  first 
.arrival  at  the  Lake— Capture  of  two  young  crocodiles — Another  poor 
corn  croi? — We  send  some  '  benevolent '  messengers  to  gather  bananas — 
Distribution  of  corn  among  the  men — Welcome  additions  to  our  larder 
— I  apply  pure  carbolic  acid  to  the  surface  of  sloughing  ulcers — My 
l^igmy  woman  collects  with  me  the  necessary  plants  for  making  arrow- 
poison— Superstition  in  Africa  regarding  the  coristruction  of  a  small  hut 
— Approximate  ages  of  the  white  members,  &c.,  of  the  Expedition — 
Process  of  pounding  and  preparing  our  corn — My  IMonbuttu  pigmy 
.mixes  a  specimen  of  arrow-poison- 1  manufacture  a  gridiron  for  cooking 
purposes. 

'Nof.  10. — This  morning  I  got  Stairs  into  my  room,  to 
examine  into  the  condition  of  his  wound.  I  placed  him  on 
the  bed,  and  after  careful  inspection  was  able  to  satisfy 
myself  of  the  position  of  the  arrow-head.  I  then  made  a 
final  effort  to  get  it  out  without  ■  the  use  of  an  anaesthetic ; 
Stairs  bore  the  pain  with  stoic  fortitude ;  and  after  about 
ten  minutes'  manipulation,  I  succeeded  in  extracting  the 
long-lodged  intruder.  It  was  over  an  inch  in  length;  the 
wood  was  roughened  on  the  surface,  but  there  was  not  the 
.slightest  trace  of  decomposition,  although  it  had  remained 
imbedded  in  the  flesh  for  a  period  of  fifteen  months — less 
three  days.  It  had  struck  the  rib  in  the  centre,  and  was 
then  deflected  downwards  and  inwards,  so  that  it  lay  in 
contact  with  the  pleura  behind  the  intercostal  muscles.  The 
periosteum  has  been  injured,  and  there  is  a  slight  amount  of 
superficial  necrosis,  leading  to  exfoliation  of  that  part  of  the 
sub-periosteal  layers  of  the  rib  ;  this  will  necessarily  maintain 
<i  discharging  sinus  for  some  time.  I  am  very  glad  that  the 
thing  has  been  removed,  for  Stairs  is  now  relieved  of  the 


294  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

anxiety  (accompanied  by  some  amount  of  danger)  of  having  a 
foreign  body  of  a  very  unpleasant  nature  imbedded  in  his 
flesh.  The  uninitiated  may  be  disposed  to  ask  me  why  I 
had  not  removed  it  earlier :  I  have  never  thought,  however, 
that  I  would  have  been  justified  in  cutting  down  upon  it  in  the 
earlier  days,  when  we  were  always  on  the  move,  for  before  it 
had  become  incapsuled  in  fibrous  tissue,  there  would  have  been 
great  danger,  of  damaging  the  pleura  and  lung  by  exploratory 
incision ;  and  this  proceeding  I  was  very  loth  to  risk  among 
our  bad  hygienic  surroundings.  Later  on,  when  the  early 
symptoms  of  irritation  had  subsided,  I  was  obliged  to  wait  till 
we  had  some  rest,  and  my  own  health  enabled  me  to  operate 
with  some  confidence  in  the  use  of  my  hands,  as  there  certainly 
was  no  definite  immediate  danger. 

Wounds  complicated  by  the  introduction  of  toxic  substances 
have  been  divided  by  Eochard  into  three  distinct  classes : — 
(1)  Venomous,  in  which  the  pernicious  agent  is  the  normal 
secretion  of  the  special  glands  of  certain  animals,  and  in 
which  the  deleterious  action  is  not  local,  but  probably  due  to 
the  presence  of  soluble  alkaloids — ptoma,ines  or  leucomaines — 
which  are  rapidly  absorbed  into  the  circulation,  and  of  which 
the  molecular  structure  has  not  yet  been  definitely  ascertained. 
The  more  important  of  these  are,  of  course,  the  bites  of 
venomous  serpents,  (2)  Virulent,  in  which  the  pernicious 
agent  is  a  virus — the  product  of  an  animal  organism  in  a  state 
of  disease  ;  and  which  is,  when  absorbed,  capable  of  reproduc- 
tion to  an  indefinite  degree  in  the  blood  and  tissues  of  the 
creature  inoculated.  Under  this  head  falls  the  innoculation 
of  small-pox,  farcy,  glanders,  charbon,  dissecting  wound,  &c. 
(3)  Poisoned,  in  which  the  toxic  substance  introduced  is. 
capable,  although  not  gifted  with  powers  of  self-multiplication, 
of  causing  deadly  results  ;  some  of  which  may  be  duo  to 
absorption  by  the  venous  circulation,  by  which  the  system  is 
more  rapidly  affected,  and  others  to  absorption  by  the 
lymphatics,  by  which  it  is  deposited  in  the  neighbouring- 
lymphatic  glands — where  it  may  cause  local  mischief  only,  or 
from  which  it  may  be  passed,  more  or  less  rajjidly,  into  the 
general  circulation. 

The  absorption  of  all  toxic  substances  is  necessarily  in 
direct  proportion  to  the  rapidity  of  the  circulation  at  the 
situation  into  which  it  has  been  introduced  ;  when  absorption 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FOET  BODO.  295 

has  taken  place,  nature's  efforts  at  cure  can  be  directed  only  to 
the  elimination  of  the  poison  by  the  organs  of  excretion. 
Judicious  aid  may  sometimes  be  effective  in  aiding  the 
attempts  of  nature  in  this  direction,  Claude  Bernard  has 
demonstrated  that  by  applying  effective  circular  compression 
to  a  limb  above  the  seat  of  a  poisoned  wound,  which  was  after- 
wards relaxed,  little  by  little,  at  intervals  of  sufficient  length, 
the  toxic  agent  was  able  to  pass  into  the  circulation  by 
degrees,  and  be  eliminated  by  the  emunctory  organs,  without 
danger  to  life :  although  the  quantity  of  poison  introduced  was 
sufficiently  great  to  have  rapidly  destroyed  life  without  the 
adoption  of  this  precaution. 

From  the  days  of  classic  antiquity,  the  occurrence  of 
poisoned  wounds  has  been  recognised  as  one  of  the  terrors  of 
warfare.  Pliny  tells  us  that  the  ancient  Gauls  dipped  the 
points  of  their  arrows  in  the  juice  of  the  black  hellebore,  so  as 
to  insure  the  infliction  of  a  mortal  wound.  Strabo  informs  his 
readers  that  the  juices  of  a  variety  of  yew  were  utilized  for  the 
same  purpose.  In  ages  more  recent,  Hartmann  reported  the 
use  of  various  species  of  Euphorbia  by  aboriginal  Africans  in 
the  same  way ;  Ferreira  de  Lemos  called  the  attention  of  the 
world  to  the  employment  of  curara ;  other  travellers  found 
that  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  South  America  utilized  extracts 
obtained  from  certain  plants  of  the  strychnine  family.  The 
natives  of  the  Banks  Islands  (South  Pacific)  use  extracts  of  two 
plants  to  poison  their  arrow-heads  with ;  one,  toe,  is  a  member 
of  the  Euphorbia  family;  the  other,  lohe,  is  probably  one  of 
the  nux  vomica  group.  The  arrows  are  sometimes  dipped 
separately  in  these  extracts ;  sometimes  in  a  mixture  of  both. 

The  efficacy  of  such  vegetable  arrow-poisons,  although 
received  with  implicit  faith  by  the  ancients,  was  sharply 
questioned  by  some  of  the  earlier  apostles  of  modern  surgery. 
Ambrose  Pare  denied  that  there  was  any  proof  of  the  effective 
use  of  poison  for  snch  purposes ;  Heister,  who  examined  the 
evidence  at  more  length,  attributed  all  the  symptoms  which 
had  been  described  as  due  to  the  nature  of  the  wound  itself, 
independent  of  other  deleterious  agents.  Eochard  absolutely 
refused  to  admit  that  the  arrow-heads  used  by  savages  had 
ever  been  proved  to  have  any  toxic  agency.  Mendam  (in 
1595),  and  Burney  and  Carteret  (in  1767),  who  had  special 
opportunities   of  making  themselves   acquainted  with    tliese 


296  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

savage  weapons,  expressed  their  doubts  as  to  the  efficacy  of 
the  poisonous  properties  attributed  to  them.  Forster  and, 
more  recently,  Haltbrd,  had  investigated  the  subject  experi- 
mentally, and  had  failed  to  satisfy  themselves  of  the  existence 
of  a  poison.  At  Gaboon,  however,  Polaillon  and  Carville 
investigated  the  properties  of  the  inspissated  juices  of  certain 
plants  which  were  said  to  be  employed  by  the  natives  to  poison 
.their  arrows ;  and  found  that  the  introduction  of  them  into  the 
circulation  of  the  lower  animals  had  the  effect  of  destroying 
muscular  contractility,  and  causing  death  by  cardiac  paralysis. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  nature  of  the  poison  used  in  a  similar 
way  by  the  inhabitants  of  New  Caledonia  was  carefully 
investigated  by  a  committee  of  four  persons,  who  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  native  customs  ;  these  were  Drs.  Brassac 
and  Michel,  M.  Campana,  a  druggist,  and  the  missionary, 
M.  Montrausier.  After  prolonged  and  repeated  experiments, 
these  investigators  were  unable  to  satisfy  themselves  of  a 
definite  toxic  action.  The  animals  which  they  had  wounded 
with  poisoned  arrow-heads,  inoculated,  &c.,  all  died  of  tetanus 
at  intervals  of  six  to  twenty-six  days  from  the  receipt  of  the 
injury. 

Accordingly,  the  evidence  so  far  collected  on  the  subject 
must  be  admitted  to  be  very  inconclusive.  I  have  taken  a 
great  interest  in  this  subject  since  my  earliest  acquaintance 
with  native  African  life ;  and  have,  from  time  to  time,  ex- 
pended some  pains  in  ascertaining  any  reliable  information  on 
this  interesting  question,  but  hitherto  without  definite  result. 
I  ho})C  that  I  have  now,  at  last,  a  fair  chance  of  collecting  more 
reliable  data ;  I  will  certainly  utilise  my  opportunities  during 
the  remainder  of  my  stay  here  to  try  and  ascertain  some  facts 
in  connection  with  this  subject.  The  results,  if  any,  will  be 
useful  to  some  one  hereafter ;  the  inquiry  will  help  to  relieve 
the  tedium  of  my  own  existence  here. 

Nov.  11. — Stairs'  temperature  is  normal  to-day.  I  have 
syringed  out  the  wound,  which  is  discharging  a  little.  There 
is  a  great  deal  of  puckering  around  the  margins,  and  the 
central  opening  is  deeply  depressed.  Adhesions  have  formed, 
leaving  the  edges  of  the  wound  immovably  connected  with 
the  rib.  The  lung  had  never  been  punctured ;  the  air  has 
always  entered  it  freely ;  all  other  ])arts  are  healthy,  excepting 
the   small   portion   of  the   rib,  which    has   been  denuded  of 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  297 

its  periosteum.  I  placed  a  pad  over  the  wound,  and  bandaged 
the  arm  closely  to  the  side,  and  have  no  doubt  that  all  will  he 
well  in  a  short  time. 

The  peas,  beans,  and  all  other  climbing  plants,  which  Ave 
have  been  cultivating  here,  grow  in  the  same  way — viz.,  from 
right  to  left,  like  the  hops  in  Kent.  We  have  experimented 
by  trailing  some  of  them  from  left  to  right,  but  they  will  not 
grow  in  that  direction. 

Nov.  12. — Stairs'  dog,  a  native  cur  of  the  pariah  type,  has 
been  actually  caught  in  the  act  of  eating  the  heads  of  Indian 
corn  which  are  standing  in  the  field. 

All  the  native  dogs  which  I  have  seen  in  the  forest  have 
ears  pointed  and  erect.  I  have  nowhere,  as  yet,  seen  one 
with  drooping  ears.  The  natives  of  the  forest  are  not  fond  of 
domestic  pets.  The  dogs  are  somewhat  like  fox-terriers,  but 
very  thin  and  starved-looking,  and  mostly  brown.  They 
evidently  do  not  receive  much  attention  from  their  native 
owners.  The  dogs  on  the  plain  are  taller,  with  fine  limbs, 
and  somewhat  of  the  greyhound  type ;  most  of  them  have 
pointed  ears,  but  a  few  of  them  carry  these  organs  droop- 
ing. 

Jephson's  unaccountable  delay  is,  I  believe,  the  result  of 
some  action  of  Emin  Pasha's  men,  and  the  decision  of  the 
latter  either  to  detain  Emin  forcibly,  or  refuse  to  come  into 
the  forest  with  Jephson  to  transport  our  loads.  Or,  perhaps, 
Emin  is  all  this  time  concentrating  his  followers  and  men, 
who  are  coming  out  to  the  coast,  and  building  a  fort  or  strong- 
hold of  some  kind  on  the  shores  of  the  lake,  so  as  to  be  safe 
from  Kabba  Kega,  King  of  Unyoro,  and  to  be  ready  to  start 
when  Mr.  Stanley  arrives. 

Stairs  is  doing  well ;  no  complication  or  bad  symptoms  have 
followed  the  removal  of  the  arrow-head.  jSTelson  is  very  seedy 
from  his  fever.  We  are  to  have  bean-soup  to-night.  This  is 
our  second  crop  of  beans ;  we  make  the  soup  by  pounding  the 
beans  in  a  wooden  mortar  with  an  ivory  pounder,  and  then 
boiling  them  again  with  a  large  quantity  of  water. 

I  feel  myself  like  a  convict  here,  in  more  ways  than  one. 
In  the  first  place,  I  am  isolated  and  starved ;  in  the  second 
place,  my  hair  has  been  cropped  down  to  the  skin  by  my  boy, 
who  officiates  as  my  barber;  so  I  look  almost  bald.  Both 
Nelson  and  Stairs  have  their  heads  shaved  at  regular  intervals. 


298  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

as  the  hair  is  a  little  thin  on  the  vertex,  and  they  want  it  to 
grow  more  thickly.  The  shaving  process  is  carried  out  by 
the  use  of  an  iron  arrow-head,  the  edge  of  which  has  been 
well  sharpened. 

Stairs  read  to  me  this  morning  the  notes  which  he  had 
taken  while  at  the  Lake.  On  IMr.  Stanley's  first  arrival  there 
(in  December  last),  both  Stairs  and  Jephson  suggested  either 
to  march  up  the  western  margin  for  some  days,  or  to  go  in  a 
canoe ;  this  would  have  just  brought  them  to  Emin  Pasha's 
most  southerly  station  at  Mswa  (provided  the  Expedition  was 
not  annihilated  en  route),  and  they  would  have  found  him 
there,  and  saved  several  months  of  time.  But  as  the  native 
tribes  a-head  were  warlike,  and  inclined  to  be  hostile,  Mr. 
Stanley  determined  to  retreat,  with  his  small  force,  to  the 
forest  for  the  boat  and  a  reinforcement  of  men,  no  canoe 
being  discoverable  on  the  lake.  He  did  return  to  the  forest 
and  brought  up  the  boat.  He  simply  went  to  the  lake ;  and, 
when  within  communicating  distance  of  Emin,  retreated  with- 
out having  heard  anything  of  him :  the  unaccountable  fact  of 
Emin's  having  never  come  down  in  his  steamer  to  the  south  end 
of  the  lake,  either  to  meet  us,  or  for  any  other  purpose,  was 
enough  to  make  our  leader  very  cautious  in  his  movements. 

Our  men  caught  two  young  crocodiles  in  their  fish-baskets 
to-day ;  they  were  each  eighteen  inches  in  length,  and  had 
some  small  fish  in  their  stomachs.  The  stream  in  which  they 
were  caught  is  but  a  couple  of  feet  in  depth  (except  when 
swollen  out  with  rains),  and  a  couple  of  yards  wide. 

Nov.  13. — Nelson  has  decided  not  to  cut  his  tent ;  but  fears 
that  Mr.  Stanley  will  put  another  man  in  with  him,  on  his 
return,  although  the  tent  is  not  a  large  one.  The  rains  are 
diminishing,  and  the  days  are  becoming  very  hot, 

Nov.  14.—  .... 

Nov,  15. — The  gathering  in  of  our  corn  crop  was  completed 
to-day.  It  is  but  a  poor  one  ;  about  five  acres  had  been  planted, 
and  the  total  yield  was  about  four  tons,  which  gives  but 
twenty-nine  and  a  half  bushels  to  the  acre  (60  lbs.  =  1  bushel). 
We  calculated  that  our  first  crop  on  this  farm  yielded  sixty- 
five  bushels  to  the  acre.  This  last  crop  had,  however,  been 
wrecked  by  tliat  terrible  hailstorm.  The  planting  of  the 
large  field  will  be  finished  to-morrow. 

Some  elephants  came  up  to  within  200  yards  of  the  Fort 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  299 

last  night ;  they  tore  up  some  banana  trees,  and  then  went  off 
again.  Nelson  sends  out  two  men  every  week  for  bananas ; 
they  are  always  told  to  try  and  get  a  few  good  bananas  for 
the  white  men  ;  but  they  invariably  return  to  say  that  there 
are  no  good  bananas  to  be  found.  On  their  return  to-day 
Stairs  saw  them  hide  something  at  a  short  distance  outside 
the  Fort.  As  usual,  they  explained  on  returning  that  there 
were  no  good  bananas  to  be  got  anywhere ;  Stairs  then  went 
out  at  once  to  see  what  it  was  that  they  had  hidden,  and  found 
some  very  good  bananas — they  had  brought  us  in  wretchedly 
small  ones  !  These  benevolent  messengers  readily  forget  their 
duty  to  the  white  man,  when  the  white  man  forgets  to  take 
care  of  himself. 

The  temperature  was  90°  in  the  shade  to-day  ;  still  it  is 
very  damp,  owing  to  the  enormous  profusion  of  vegetable 
growth. 

Nov.  16. — It  is  now  exactly  five  months  to-day,  since 
Mr.  Stanley  started  westward  for  the  recovery  of  the  rear 
column.  He  had  then  calculated  that,  after  returning  here, 
he  would  arrive  at  the  lake  on  the  2nd  of  January,  1889. 
By  to-morrow  week,  it  will  be  exactly  six  months  since  I 
left  the  Albert  Nyanza  with  Mr.  Stanley.  As  our  friends, 
Jephson  and  the  Pasha,  then  hoped  to  be  able  to  arrive 
here  for  ourselves  and  our  loads  in  three  or  four  months, 
the  delay  is  uncomfortable,  and  furnishes  a  bad  omen  for  the 
future.  A  question  arose  this  morning  about  the  corn,  which 
was  to  be  tivanga'd  (powdered  into  flour)  for  our  use.  Lately 
we  have  been  using  corn  which  was  filled  with  weevils. 
Nelson  objected  to  this  now,  as  he  said  that  this  damaged 
corn  couki  not  be  sold  at  the  Cape,  even  for  ostrich  food. 
Stairs  was  of  opinion  that  it  was  good  meal.  However,  we 
held  a  "shauri,"  and  it  was  decided  to  prepare  meal  from 
good  new  corn,  which  is,  of  course,  cleaner  and  better. 

Stairs'  wound  has  almost  healed;  and  he  is  able  to  move 
about,  and  do  his  work  with  his  wonted  energy.  He  calculated 
to-day  that  we  have  now  twenty  heads  of  corn  per  day  for  50 
men  for  three  and  a  half  months ;  also,  that  there  will  be  a 
"  reserve  "  of  14,000  heads  of  corn,  as  well  as  bananas.  So 
that  we  whites  will  have  a  store  representing  one  hundred 
heads  of  corn  per  day  for  the  same  time,  with  a  reserve  of 
9,000  heads. 


SOO  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

Nov.  17. — We  commenced  the  distribution  of  corn  to-day, 
by  giving  all  the  men  ten  heads  each  for  seven  days. 

Nov.  18. — I  had  a  shot  at  a  large  bird  to-day ;  and  missed  it. 
It  flew  off,  but  after  a  short  time  the  sentry  came  running  in 
to  say  that  it  had  returned.  Stairs  had  a  shot  at  it  then,  and 
succeeded  in  bringing  it  down.     It  was  a  kind  of  stork. 

Nov.  19. — The  planting  of  the  peas  was  finished  this 
morning.  The  new  peas  are  now  just  ripe ;  I  expect  that  we 
shall  have  a  plate  of  them  on  Sunday.  Nelson's  boy  brought 
me  a  crab  to-day ;  about  eighty  young  crabs  were  concealed 
beneath  the  ventral  aspect  of  the  shell.  These  youngsters 
were  all  quite  lively,  and  moving  their  limbs  briskly ;  their 
eyes  staring  brightly  open.  It  was  evidently  a  female  which  was 
conveying  her  recently  produced  young  ones  around  with  her. 
We  are  to  have  Stairs'  stork  for  luncheon  to-day,  which  is  a 
great  treat  to  us  hungry  creatures. 

I  now  treat  the  sloughing,  and  very  chronic  ulcers  by 
directly  applying  pure  carbolic  acid  to  the  surface.  This  gives 
very  little  pain,  and  has  the  effect  of  causing  them  to  skin  over 
— in  a  way  that  every  other  application  had  failed  to  do.  Our 
former  cook,  Marzouki,  who  had  been  limping  about  for 
months  with  an  ulcer  on  his  foot,  and  had  been  excused  all 
duty  on  account  of  it,  has  now  had  this  broken  surface  com- 
pletely healed  up;  so  that  his  occupation  of  idleness,  as  one 
of  the  "  Unemployed,"  has  gone.  He  has,  accordingly,  been 
obliged  to  resume  work ;  and  is  not  at  all  obliged  to  me  for 
this  new  and  effectual  treatment. 

Nov.  20. — This  morning  I  had  a  shot  at  some  birds,  which 
resembled  plover  both  in  appearance  and  flight.  Their  cry 
also  resembled  that  of  plover,  so  that  they  called  up  a  number 
of  old  associations.  During  last  night  some  natives  came 
within  300  or  400  yards  of  the  Fort,  and  shouted.  My  pigmy 
answered  them ;  they  said  that  they  were  going  off  by 
another  path  and  would  not  come  near.  They  must  have  lost 
their  way,  and  not  known  they  were  so  near  our  enclosure. 
The  Wasongora  come  here  from  very  long  distances  to  procure 
bananas ;  and,  accordingly,  do  not  know  their  way  very  well 
about  the  plantation. 

Nov.  21. — To-day  I  got  my  pigmy  woman  to  come  into  the 
forest  with  me,  and  gather  the  barks,  herbs,  beans,  &c.,  from 
wliich  the  natives  prepare  the  poison  for  their  arrows.     We 


rAKKK   AND   lUS   FAITUFUL    I'lGJIY. 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  1^0 DO.  301 

collected  four  kinds  of  plants.  She  is  to  show  me  to-morrow 
how  the  poison  is  prepared.  I  will  inject  some  into  the  dog 
and  study  the  effects,  which  I  am  most  desirous  to  see.  Some 
of  our  men  died  of  tetanus  after  the  receipt  of  wounds  inflicted 
by  these  weapons.  This  sequela  might  have  been  the  result 
of  the  injury — considered  merely  as  a  punctured  wound — but 
I  hardly  think  that  this  would  satisfactorily  explain  the  large 
number  of  tetanus  cases,  with  their  unusually  high  mortality, 
which  followed  the  action  at  Avisibba.  All  the  men  who 
had  been  wounded  there — excepting  Stairs,  whose  wound  I  had 
carefully  sucked — succumbed  to  the  tetanic  symptoms  which 
supervened.  I  also  know  now  that  some  arrows  are  merely 
smeared  with  squashed  chillies,  or  pounded  ants,  to  enable 
them  to  give  rise  to  a  certain  amount  of  irritation.  The 
pigmy  tells  me  that  if  the  poison  is  not  fresh  it  merely  causes 
local  swelling  and  itching  around  the  seat  of  the  wound.  She 
also  says  that  the  poison  is  harmless  to  swallow,  and  that  the 
natives  always  smear  it  on  the  arrows  with  which  they  kill 
their  game.  They  eat  this  game  afterwards,  and  suffer  no  ill 
effects  from  the  poison.  She  tells  me  that  there  is  an  idea 
that  if  the  natives  are  frightened  while  preparing  the  poison  it 
will  be  of  no  use. 

Among  the  superstitions  which  I  have  had  an  opportunity 
of  noticing  during  the  progress  of  the  Expedition,  one  of  the 
most  widely  spread  is  the  construction  of  a  small  hut,  the 
presence  of  which  is  supposed  to  protect  the  families  of  the 
warriors  while  the  latter  are  away  on  one  of  their  plundering 
or  fighting  excursions.  I  have  observed  it  among  the  tribes 
on  the  Congo,  in  the  Manyuema  tribe,  along  the  recesses  of 
the  forest,  and  on  the  plains  towards  the  Albert  Nyanza — it 
seems  to  prevail  almost  across  Africa.  The  fetish  man,  or 
wizard,  of  the  tribe,  builds  a  small  conical  grass  hut,  about  two 
feet  in  height,  with  a  doorway  about  large  enough  to  admit  a 
hen.  One  of  them  is  built  close  to  the  door  of  each  of  the 
principal  huts  in  the  village,  when  the  heads  of  the  families- 
are  going  on  an  expedition,  and  they  are  believed  to  furnish 
a  secure  protection  against  their  hostile  neighbours.  Also 
they  are  supposed  to  act  as  charms  to  protect  the  warriors 
of  the  village,  while  away  fighting  against  the  common 
enemy. 

I  subjoin  the  approximate  ages  of  the  white  members  of  the 


302  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 

E.  P.  R.  Expedition,  and  the  averages  of  the  ages  of  the  various 
tribal  components,  at  the  date  of  its  starting  (early  in  1887) : — 


Years. 

Stnnley 46 

Walker 38 

Bonny 43 

Nelson      .....     36 
Inshnm 36 


Years. 

Parke 30 

Jameson 31 

Jephsou 30 

Barttelot 29 

Ward 25 


Troup 32       1       Stairs 25 

William 21  years. 

Years. 
Aveiage  age  of  Em'opeans    ......     32^ 

„  Zanzibaris    ......     35 

,,  Nubians       .  .  .  .  .  .33 

„  Somalis        .  .  .  .  .  .25 

Nov.  22. — Stairs  and  I  carefully  measured  the  meal  which 
we  used  to-day,  so  that  we  may  be  able  to  estimate  the  average 
consumption  of  the  twenty-four  hours.  We  used  each  3:^  cups 
of  dry  flour  during  the  day  as  ugee  (porridge),  or  ugari  (scalded 
meal) ;  but  we  are  able  to  consume  half  a  cup  extra,  which  would 
make  3|  cups  of  dry  flour.  This  quantity  is  equal  to  5  cups  of 
wet  flour.  Naturally  our  bitter  experience  of  forest  life  has 
given  us  some  ideas  of  prudence  and  forethought ;  although, 
under  the  present  circumstances,  it  may  seem  much  less  re- 
quired than  formerly ;  living  as  we  now  are  on  our  own  farm, 
and  with  our  granary  full  of  corn.  Our  corn  is  allowed  to  soak 
in  water  for  a  night ;  and,  on  the  following  morning  is  pounded 
in  a  large  wooden  khino  (i.e.  a  wooden  mortar).  It  is  then 
sifted  again  and  again,  until  all  the  husks  have  been  separated ; 
after  which  process  it  is  again  pounded  with  ivory  pounders. 
The  man  who  carries  out  the  pounding  process  receives  150 
heads  of  mohindi  (Indian  corn),  to  prepare  for  each  day — this 
makes  14  or  15  cujis  of  wet  flour,  which  represent  about  10 
cups  of  the  dry  material — so  it  is  less  than  our  ration-allowance, 
as  above  calculated.  Therefore,  we  conclude  cither  that  150 
heads  of  corn  form  too  small  a  ration,  or  that  some  is  possibly 
lost  (i.e.  stolen)  in  some  stage  of  the  process  of  preparation. 
The  latter  accident,  I  know,  does  occur — at  least,  on  some 
occasions — as  I  have  found  the  pounder  (i.e.  the  man  who 
pounds)  carrying  away  a  good  deal  of  the  meal,  which  he 
had  abstracted  by  mixing  it  up  with  the  husks  and  refuse : 
besides,  his  lower  jaw  is  perpetually  on  the  move  while 
pounding. 

We  generally  have  a  few  sweet  potatoes  and  some  mboga 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  303 

(leaves  of  trees,  herbs,  and  tops  of  bushes  pounded  up  together) 
with  our  repast,  in  addition  to  our  ration  of  Indian  corn. 

Nov.  23. — My  Monbuttu  (pigmy)  woman,  has  succeeded  in 
preparing  a  specimen  of  arrow-poison.  I  will  try  its  effect 
on  Stairs'  dog,  which  he  has  generously  given  for  the  ex- 
periment, in  aid  of  the  advancement  of  science.  I  wonder  at 
what  date  the  English-speaking  world  will  be  instructed  by 
the  result  ?  She  pounded  some  large  leaves,  bark,  some  (pink, 
thorny)  stem,  scrapings  of  sticks  of  wood,  and  four  bean  kernels 
— all  up  together.  She  then  smeared  the  arrows  with  the 
resulting  mixture,  and  placed  them  to  dry  in  the  sun. 

Nov.  24. — On  this  day  twelvemonth,  Mr.  Stanley  started 
from  here  to  the  Albert  Nyanza  for  tJie  first  time :  on  this  day 
six  months,  we  left  the  Lake  (concluding  our  leader's  second 
visit),  having  at  last  found  the  mysterious  Emin  Pasha.  On 
this  day — here  we  are !  still  patiently  (or  impatiently) 
awaiting  the  arrival  of  Jephson  and  Emin  Pasha — or  of 
Mr.  Stanley. 

I  have  made  a  gridiron  from  the  wire  splints  which  I  took 
from  the  "  Field  Companion  "  left  at  Cape  Town.  It  will  be 
most  useful  in  cooking  meat,  instead  of  having  to  drop  the 
latter  in  among  the  cinders  to  be  roasted,  or  trying  to  arrange 
it  on^a  stick  like  kabobs. 

But where  on  earth  is  the  meat  ?  ?  ?     Echo  answers. 

The  rains  are  now  ceasiuo-. 


304  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    ARROW-POISON  OF    THE    PIGMIES. 

My  first  African  essay  in  amateur  vivisection — Effect  of  the  arrow-poison  on 
Lieutenant  Stairs'  dog — Method  of  burial  among  the  natives — Anni- 
versary of  my  birthday — Report  on  the  arrow-poison  of  the  pigmies  read 
before  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great  Britain  :  Part  I.  Description 
of  the  material;  («)  The  poison  ;  (h)  Preparation  of  the  poison  ;  (c)  The 
antidote.  Part  If.  Identification  of  the  material  by  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 
— Some  of  the  results  of  our  farming  at  Fort  Bodo  tabulated— Miscliief 
by  elephants  in  our  banana  plantation — Ali  Jumba's  reply  to  our  cross- 
examination  about  the  snme — Elementary  nature  of  our  diet — A  native 
camp  discovered  in  the  plantation — Porridge  flour  made  from  bananas — 
We  cut  down  our  rice  crop — Great  quantities  of  locusts — An  elephant's 
gymnastic  feat — Wives  of  the  Wambuttu  and  Wasongora. 

Nov.  24. — This  morning,  at  9  a.m.,  Stairs'  dog  was  handed 
over  to  me  to  make  my  first  African  essay  in  amateur 
vivisection.  I  made  an  incision  in  the  skin  of  the  animal's 
back,  about  half  an  inch  in  length,  and  pretty  deep :  I 
also  made  scratchings  (like  those  practised  in  vaccina- 
tion), over  a  surface  of  about  a  square  inch.  I  then  rubbed 
in  the  poison.  The  whole  procedure  was  carried  on  in 
presence  of  my  white  confreres.  I  have  been  very  anxious 
to  satisfy  myself  of  the  effects  of  the  poison  :  so  many  of  the  men 
having  died  of  tetanus  after  being  wounded,  and  four  having 
died  of  h£cmorrhage  resulting  from  puncture  of  important 
vessels — all  these  cases  left  me  •  doubtful  as  to  the  modus 
operandi  of  the  mysterious  agent.  The  fatal  cases  of  hiBmor- 
rhage  might,  of  course,  have  followed  the  punctuTes  inflicted 
by  any  such  pointed  instrument,  whether  poisoned  or  not.  Tlie 
succession  of  cold,  chilly  nights  to  excessively  hot  days,  might 
have  proved  a  sufficient  cause  to  account  for  the  occurrence  of 
so  large  a  number  of  cases  of  tetanus  among  our  blacks,  who 
have  the  reputation  of  being  so  much  predisposed  to  the 
disease  :  this  was  made  even  more  probable  by  the  foct  that  so 
many  men  died  on  the  nights  of  the  18th  and  19th  ;  both  of 
which  were  particularly  cold.  So  that,  up  to  the  present,  I 
have  had  no  decisive  data. 


aSSSj  THE  ABROW-FOISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES.  oi}o 

My  dwarf  tells  me  that  the  poison  won't  kill  by  insertion 
into  a  superficial  wound  :  the  arrow  which  has  been  fortified  by 
the  poison  must  penetrate  to  a  depth  of  two  inches.  This  state- 
ment does  not  make  me  feel  any  clearer  as  to  the  qualities  of 
the  poison,  for  at  that  depth  it  might  very  often  produce  mis- 
chief enough  to  cause  death  without  the  use  of  any  poison  at  all. 

The  sentries  heard  an  elephant  moving  about  in  the  eliamha 
(clearing),  last  night  about  twelve  o'clock.  They  fired  one 
shot,  after  which  the  animal  moved  off  for  a  few  yards ;  but  did 
not  leave  the  place  until  tlie  ivory  alarm  horn  had  been  blown 
for  about  fifteen  minutes.  The  brute  could  be  distinctly  heard 
breaking  down  branches  and  feeding,  at  a  distance  of  two  or 
three  hundred  yards. 

I  made  another  gridiron — for  Nelson — from  the  iron  bangles 
^vhich  my  pigmy  has  been  wearing  as  ornaments  around  her 
neck.  We  are  all  earnestly  praying  that  Providence  will  soon 
send  us  some  furniture  for  our  gridirons,  in  the  shape  of  sound 
and  wholesome  meat ! 

Nov.  25. — One  month  separating  us  from  Christmas — a 
bright  lookout !  Another  holiday  of  starvation.  My  last 
Christmas  was  spent  among  our  benevolent  IManyuema  friends 
at  IiDoto ;  the  previous  one  at  Alexandria  ;  the  one  next  before 
that  (1885),  on  the  Nile,  with  the  Expedition  for  the  relief  of 
Gordon — so  that  I  have  had  a  choice  variety  of  African  holiday 
lexperiences. 

The  dog,  which  had  been  the  subject  of  yesterday's 
experiment,  died  to-day  at  1.45  p.m. — twenty-eight  and  a 
quarter  hours  after  the  introduction  of  the  poison  into  his 
economy.  When  I  made  the  incision,  the  animal  winced  a 
little ;  but  did  not  seem  to  feel  any  pain  while  I  was  rubbing 
in  the  poison.  I  carefully  watched  his  subsequent  movements  ; 
he  was  restless  for  an  hour  or  so ;  but  this  seemed  to  be  rather 
due  to  the  annoyance  produced  by  muzzling  him — so  as  to 
prevent  his  licking  off  the  poison.  He  then  composed  himself 
in  the  usual  attitude  of  dogs  lying  at  ease :  placing  himself 
quietly  on  his  belly,  with  his  fore-legs  stretched  out  in  front, 
his  head  extended  and  resting  between  them,  and  the  hind-legs 
drawn  forward  under  his  body.  He  had  not  moved  about 
much,  and  had  made  no  attempt  to  scratch  his  wound,  or  roll 
on  his  back,  or  rub  himself  against  anything.  His  fore-legs 
Avere  kept  tied,  till  4  p.m.,  so  as  to  prevent  his  scratching,  when 

X 


SOG  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AERICA.  [1888. 

they  were  unbound  by  Stairs,  wlio  brought  him  out  for  a 
walk.  He  then  seemed  to  be  in  low  spirits,  and  unusually 
drowsy  and  heavy — indicating  a  narcotizing  influence.  He 
got  two  toasted  heads  of  corn,  which  he  ate — this  was  his- 
usual  food.  He  made  no  noise  during  the  night,  and  there  did 
not  appear  to  be  any  definite  change  in  his  condition  in  the 
morning :  he  still  remained  heavy,  and  showed  no  inclination 
for  exercise  or  play.  He  had  plenty  of  water  beside  him  to- 
drink,  if  he  wanted  to.  At  1.30  p.m.  I  found  him  lying  in  the 
position  above  described,  with  the  tongue  partially  protruded,, 
and  a  slight  discharge  of  saliva  escaping  from  the  mouth,. 
Avhich  was  partially  open.  The  pupils  were  normal,  the  eyes- 
partially  closed,  and  a  mucous  secretion  between  the  lids  ;  the 
head,  when  raised  would  fall  over  if  not  supported  ;  the  respi- 
ration was  laboured,  and  a  little  slower  than  that  of  health  ; 
the  arterial  pulsation — easily  felt  in  the  femoral  artery — 
indicated  strong,  but  slow,  heart's  action ;  he  had  voided  fronij 
bladder  and  intestines;  the  tail  was  extended  and  lax — instead 
of  its  normal  curl  upwards.  When  removed  to  a  flat  surface- 
he  lay  on  his  side,  and  extended  his  legs.  A  tremulous  move- 
ment then  appeared  in  the  fore-legs ;  which  soon  ceased,  and 
commenced  in  the  hind-legs :  this  movement,  on  watching  it 
closely,  I  found  to  be  a  symmetrical  jerking,  twitching  move- 
ment of  both  fore-legs  and  both  hind-legs  in  turn.  The  entire 
limb  moved  Avith  a  jerky  contraction — from  shoulder  to  claw  : 
both  fore-legs  moved  together,  about  every  ten  seconds  ;  both 
hind-legs  tlien  had  their  turn  ;  then  the  legs  appeared  to  move 
alternately,  so  that  their  actions  nearly  corresponded  to  those 
of  a  trotting  horse.  There  did  not  seem  to  be  any  irregular 
contractions  of  independent  groups  of  muscles;  there  was  no- 
tonic  contraction,  no  local  hardness  or  rigidity,  and  the  skin 
did  not  feel  hotter  than  in  health. 

My  i)igmy  said  that  the  dog  would  die  in  three  days  afteif 
the  infliction  of  the  wound ;  this  is  about  the  time  that  some 
of  our  men  lived  after  being  wounded  by  a  j^oisoned  arrow. 
The  amount  of  poison  which  I  introduced  into  the  wound  of 
this  animal  was,  however,  of  course,  much  greater  than  is  likely 
to  be  inserted  by  the  puncture  of  a  single  poisoned  arrow. 

The  dog  did  not  attemjjt  to  drink  any  water  till  near  the- 
end ;  and  then  he  did  not  seem  to  be  able  to  swallow.  The 
skin  never  seemed  to  become  liot  or  moist,,  the  effect  of  the- 


1888.]  THE   ABEOW-FOISOX   OF   THE  PIGMIES.  307 

poison  seemed  to  be  of  a  purely  narcotic  character.  The  faices 
which  he  passed  seemed  to  be  quite  healthy  ;  they  were  dark 
in  colour.  The  body  became  rigid  about  two  (to  two  and  a 
half)  hours  after  death.  The  pigmy  tells  me  that  when  natives 
die  from  the  effects  of  this  poison,  the  eyes  are  always  widely 
open  (as  the  dog's  were)  :  they  also  evacuate  from  the  bladder 
and  bowels. 

She  has  also  informed  me  that  when  the  natives  die,  whether 
from  natural  causes  or  from  the  effects  of  this  poison,  they  are 
tied  up  in  a  contracted  posture,  and  suspended  from  the 
ceiling  with  the  neck,  thighs,  and  legs  flexed,  so  as  to  give 
them  a  position  nearly  like  that  of  a  person  reclining  on  a 
bed-rest.  When  cold  and  stiff,  they  are  carried  away  to  a 
distance  of  half  a  mile  from  the  village ;  and  buried,  in  the 
forest,  in  this  partially  sitting-up  position. 

JSTov.  26. — The  natives  use  an  antidote  for  this  arrow-poison  : 
the  Moubuttu  tells  me  it  is  not  taken  by  the  mouth,  but  is 
introduced  under  the  skin  of  the  wounded  person.  It  makes 
the  individual  sleep ;  but  he  occasionally  wakes  up  and  groans 
during  the  course  of  this  curative  slumber.  While  asleep  the 
eyes  are  closed.  She  also  asserts  that,  in  order  to  inflict  a  fatal 
wound  the  arrow  must  penetrate  to  a  depth  of  at  least  two  inches. 
This  is  because  but  a  small  portion  of  the  poison  can  be  made 
to  adhere  to  the  sharpened  point  and  margins  of  the  arrow- 
head; it  sticks  much  better  to  the  thickened  portions, 
beginning  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  from  the  tip.  If  the 
individual  is  able  to  eat  and  drink,  the  prognosis  is  favour- 
able. There  is  never  any  sweating.  Sometimes  the  jaws 
become  locked  by  spasm  of  the  muscles  of  mastication 
{trismus) ;  when  this  occurs  the  man  will  die  in  two  days. 

jSTov.  27. — The  anniversary  of  my  birthday  !  I  am  thirty- 
one  years  old  to-day.  What  a  year  of  life  the  past  has  been ! 
Our  experiences  surpass  the  wildest  imaginations  of  modern 
romancers  :  but  there  is  no  use  in  reflecting  here. 

After  some  persuasion  my  pigmy  consented  to  take  me  into 
the  forest  and  show  me  the  plants,  &c.,  which  she  employed  to 
prepare  the  poison,  and  also  the  antidote.  This  was  a  very 
great  favour  indeed,  for  it  is  a  strict  secret  of  the  tribe. 

Owing  to  the  kindness  of  Mr.  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S.,  the 
Curator  of  the  museum  of  the  "Pharmaceutical  Society  of 
Great  Britain,"  I  am  able  to  give  the  following  interesting 

X  2 


308 


EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.         [1888. 


report,  which  was  read  at  an  evening  meeting  of  that  society 
on  Wednesday,  April  8th,  1891. 


THE   AKEOW   POISON   OF   THE   PIGMIES.* 

By  Surgeox  Parke,  D.C.L.,  Army  Medical  Staff,  and 
E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 

PAET  L— DESCEIPTIOX  OF  THE  MATERIAL. 

By  Surgeon  Parke. 

The  Poison. 

I. — The  arrow  poison  used  by  tlie  pisniy  race  in  Central  Africa  is  of  a  very 
fatal  character.  Of  all  the  men  wounded  by  poisoned  arrows  at  the  action  of 
Avisibba  only  one  survived,  viz.,   Lieutenant  Stairs,  and  his  recovery  was 


POISON  NO.  1. — lURK. 

I^robably  due  to  the  fact  that  the  j^oison  was  immediately  sucked  from  the 
wound.  It  seemed  very  imi)ortaut,  therefore,  in  the  interests  of  Immanity, 
to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  composition  of  the  jwison  and  to  learn  the  nature 

*  From  the  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transactions, 'April  11,  1891, 
p.  917. 


1888.] 


THE  ARBOW-FOISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES. 


309 


cif  the  antidote  iised  by  the  pigmies.  -This  I  was  at  length  able  to  do,  througli 
the  help  of  my  little  pigmy  woman  who  followed  our  caravan.  It  was,  how- 
ever, a  long  time  before  she  would  show  me  the  plants  used,  and  the  method 
of  preparing  the  poison ;  and  then  only  on  the  express  condition  that  no 
other  person  should  accompany  us  to  the  place  where  the  plants  grew. 

Five  plants  are  employed 
to  make  the  poison.  Of  these 
I  have  brought  home  such 
portions  as  I  was  able  to  pro- 
cure at  the  time.  They  con- 
sist of  (1)  a  bark,  (2)  a  large 
green  leaf,  (3)  a  thorny 
creeper,  (4)  a  green  stem, 
(5)  a  bean-like  seed. 

1.  Bark. — This  is  obtained 
from  a  forest  tree  which  grows 
to  a  great  height,  and  is  very 
common  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Fort  Bodo.  The 
trunk  grows  to  several  feet 
in  diameter;  has  no  branches 
low  down,  but  is  much 
branched  above.  The  leaves 
are  compound  and  pinnate, 
of  a  light  green  colour ;  the 
leaflets  are  small,  about  halt" 
to  one  inch  long,  not  always 
opposite,  but  occasionally  al- 
ternate, the  rachis  being  about 
one  foot  long.  The  tree  had 
no  flowers  or  fruit  on  it  that 
I  could  see.  The  bark  is  used 
fresh  ;  it  is  of  a  dark  brown 
colour  on  the  outside,  and 
slightly  rough.  On  the  in- 
side it  is  of  a  whitish  pink 
colour,  and  red  when  broken 
transversely ;  it  is  from 
B  to  :J  inch  in  thickness.  A 
piece  about  two  inclies  square 
is  used,  pounded  with  the 
other  ingredients,  to  make  a 
cupful  of  the  poison.  The 
Monbuttu  name  of  the  tree 
is  Elinda ;  and  the  Wasou- 
gora  name  iSooroosooroo. 
(The  word  Monbuttu  means 
forest  dwarfs,  and  the  name 
of  Wasongora  is  applied  to 
the  larger,  and  darker,  natives 
Avho  occupy  the  clearings  only 
in  the  forest.) 

2.  Large  Green  Leaves. 
—  The  plant  from  which 
these  are  taken  is  very 
common  in  the  forest,  all  the  way  from  the  Congo  to  where  we  emerged  into 
daylight  at  Kavalli's.  It  is  a  herbaceous  plant,  with  about  eight  or  ten  larg 
oblong  lanceolate  leaves;  arising  direct  from  the  ground,  and  having  at  their 


POISON  NO.  2. — LAKGE  GEEEN  LEAVES. 


310  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

Lase  a  bundle  of  small  cord-like  roots  about  the  thickness  of  a  crovvquill.  The 
leaves  are  usually  three  or  four  feet  long,  and  the  old  ones  attain  even  the  length 
of  six  feet.  The  larizest  are  of  a  dark  green  colour,  and  the  younger  of  a  lighter 
shade ;  the  petiole  is  short  and  thick,  about  two  inches  in  diameter,  and  the 
midrib  is  channelled,  or  grooved  longitudinally  on  its  upper  surface,  and  is 
prominent  below,  while  the  slender  lateral  veins  branch  off  at  an  acute  angle. 
Wlien  handled,  the  leaf  feels  like  gutta-percha  tissue. 

The  short  petiole  is  pinkitih  and  very  juicy,  but  only  the  blade  of  the  leaf 
is  used:  about  two  dozen  being  sufficient  for  a  cupful  of  the  poison. 

The  flower  is  very  handsome,  white,  several  inches  in  diameter,  verj^  fragrant, 
and  soon  fades  when  gathered.  The  lower  lip  of  the  flower  is  semicircular, 
and  larger  than  the  upper  part. 

Tlic  "Monbuttu  names  of  tlie  plant  are  Kaukaungee  and  Biubeedo:  the 
Wasongora  names  Kaukaungee  and  Koko. 

3.  A  Tliorny  Creeper. — This  is  also  very  common  in  the  forest.  It  is  a 
creeper  which  grows  twenty,  thirty,  or  even  forty  yards  long,  but  never  exceeds 
one  or  two  inches  in  diameter  :  it  climbs  up  trees ;  but  prefers  to  creep  along 
tiie  undergrowth,  close  to  the  ground.  The  stem  is  of  a  brownish  colour, 
green,  softer  and  more  pliable  in  the  younger  parts,  and,  near  the  apex,  pinkish, 
or  of  a  lighter  shade  of  green.  For  the  last  two  or  thi-ee  inches  the  thorns  are 
softer,  rudimentary,  and  resemble  small  leaves ;  but  on  the  older  stems  they 


POISON  NO.  d.— THOKNY  CREEPER. 

are  very  sharp  and  hard.  There  is  such  a  gradual  increase  in  diameter,  that 
it  is  hardly  noticeable  in  a  length  of  five  yards.  When  it  runs  on  the  surface 
of  the  ground  it  sends  down  rootlets  into  the  earth. 

When  old,  the  bark  becomes  very  thin,  ami  falls  off  in  shi-eds;  the  wood 
becomes  brittle.  The  stem  has  a  well-mar-ked  pith.  The  portion  used  is 
that  towards  the  end  of  the  shoot,  but  not  the  soft  green  extremity  of  it ;  a 
piece  about  one-quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  three  feet  long,  is  sufficient 
lor  making  a  cuiMul  of  the  poison.  The  plant  had  no  leaves,  flowers,  or  seeds 
when  I  gathered  it.  The  Monbuttu  names  are  Ofernpcr,  Tipoongo,  Cuckoo-oo", 
and  Mombuadu-beedu :  the  Wasongora  names  are  Putooroh  and  Beeiah. 

4.  Green  iStem. — This  is  obtained  from  a  bi'anching  shrub,  which  is  ver}' 
common  in  the  forest.  It  grows  to  a  height  of  ten  or  twelve  feet,  and  the 
stem,  in  the  thickest  jiart,  is  not  more  than  two  inches  in  diameter ;  it  is  of  a 
dark  green  colour  in  the  upper  part  of  the  plant.  The  leaves  are  dark  green 
on  the  upper  surface,  and  of  a  ])aler  tint  below  ;  there  are  three  principal  veins 
or  orbs ;  and  the  lateral  veins  are  given  off,  at  an  acute  angle,  from  each  of  these. 
The  leaf  is  from  three  to  six,  or  even  eight,  inches  long;  and  about  half  as 
broad  ;  the  large  veins  being  depressed  on  the  ujiper,  and  prominent  on  the  lower 
surface  of  the  leaf.  The  scrajiings  of  the  bark  only  are  used — to  the  amount 
of  a  desserts] loonful  in  iireparing  a  teacupful  of  the  ]  oiscm.  The  plant  had 
neither  flowers  nor  fruit  when  I  saw  it. 


1888.]  THE  ARROW-rOISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES.  311 

The  Monbuttu  names  of  the  tree  are  Tarfa  and  Macaboo-oh  ;  the  Wasonf-ora 
name  is  Soomba.  ° 


IL^/J    / 


if  II 


tm 


^^''.1'  M     ^  - 


mm 


POISOX  XO.  4. — GREEX  STEM  AND  LEAF. 


I'OISON  NO.  5. — SEEDS. 

5.  8eeds. — These  resemble  a  small  bean  in  appearance.     They  are  of  a 
dark  brown  colour,  and  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length ;  and  grow  to  a 


312  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATOIilAL   AFBICA. 

very  large  tree.     About  eight  would  be  sufficient  for  a  cupful  of  the  poisoti : 
ouly  the  yellow  kernel  beiug  used. 

The  Monbuttu  name  is  Boongahcah  :  the  Wasongora  names  are  Baymaliruh 
and  Exeecu. 


Preparation  of  the  Poison. 

The  large  leaves,  the  bark,  the  pink  thorny  stem,  and  the  scrapings  of  the  greeii 
stem  and  lour  of  the  sn)all  seeds  are  all  jjounded  together  into  a  paste ;  which 
.  is  spread  on  the  head  of  the  arrow  and  allowed  to  dr}-.  At  first  it  is  of  a  greenish 
colour,  but  becomes  paler,  and  forms  a  hard  crust  like  clay  on  drying. 
The  Monbuttu  woman  said  it  lost  its  strength  after  three  or  four  days.  As  I 
was  anxious  to  ascertain  if  the  ingredients  really  were  those  used  to  prepaic 
the  poison,  Lieutenant  Stairs  kindly  lent  me  his  dog  to  experiment  upon. 
For  a  long  time  I  thought  that  those  who  died  from  tetanus  died  i'rom 
traumatic  tetanus :  this  poison  undoubtedly  causes  tetanus,  but  there  are 
different  poisons  used  by  different  tribes. 

Some  of  the  poison  prejiared  as  above,  on  the  2ord  of  November,  1888,  was- 
used  on  the  24th. 

An  incision  about  half  an  inch  long  was  made  in  the  back  of  the  animal,  as 
well  as  light  scratches  over  a  surface  of  about  one  inch  square,  and  the  poisoii 
was  rubbed  in — at  about  9.30  a.m. — the  operation  being  performed  in  the 
presence  of  Stairs  and  Kelson. 

The  Monbuttu  woman  said  at  the  time,  that  the  poison  would  not  kill  the 
dog :  as  the  poison  must  be  on  an  arrow,  and  the  arrow  must  penetrate  two 
inches  into  the  body.  However,  on  the  next  day  (25th)  the  dog  died  at 
1.45  P.M.,  twenty-eight  hours  and  a  quarter  after  the  introduction  of  the  poison. 

Symptoms. — The  following  symptoms  were  observed.  When  the  incision 
was  made,  the  dog  flinched  a  little ;  but  did  not  a])pear  to  suffer  pain  from  the 
cut  on  the  introduction  of  the  poison.  It  was  restless  for  an  hour  or  two,  but 
this  was  probably  due  to  the  muzzle.  He  afterwards  lay  at  his  ease  like  other 
dogs  :  his  forelegs  stretched  out  in  front,  with  his  head  resting  between  then^, 
and  his  hind  legs  drawn  up  under  him.  He  moved  very  little,  and  made  nu 
attempt  to  scratch  the  wound,  or  roll  on  his  back,  or  rub  against  anything. 
His  four  legs  were  tied  until  4  p.m.,  when  Stairs  brought  him  out  for  a  walk 
of  100  yards.  He  then  appeared  to  be  in  bad  spirits,  and  unusually  drowsy 
and  heavy,  as  if  under  the  influence  of  some  narcotic.  The  pupils  of  the  eyes, 
however,  were  not  affected.  He  ate  two  toasted  heails  of  Indian  corn  (his 
usual  food).  During  the  night  he  did  not  make  any  noise,  and  tliere  appeared 
to  be  no  change  in  his  condition ;  but  he  still  remained  heavy,  and  not  inclined 
for  play  or  exercise.  At  1.30  p.m.,  on  the  25th,  he  was  lying  in  the  above 
position  with  the  tongue  partially  i>rotruded,  and  there  was  a  slight  discharge 
of  saliva  from  the  mouth  wliich  was  half  open.  The  pupils  w^ere  normal ; 
his  head  would  fall  over  if  not  supported.  He  was  unable  to  take  any  notice, 
his  eyelids  being  only  half  open  ;  and  a  mucous  secretion  was  present  between 
the  eyelids.  The  respiratidu  was  labi aired,  and  very  slow.  The  heart's  action 
was  healthy,  but  slow  (I  lelt  the  femoral  artery).  Urine  and  fajces  had  been 
expelled;  and  his  tail  (naturally  curled)  was  lax,  and  extended.  When 
lemoved  to  a  clean,  flat  surface  he  lay  on  his  t-ide  and  extended  Ids  legs;  a 
trembling  movement  was  observed  in  his  forelegs,  which  soon  ceased  and 
commenced  in  his  hind  legs.  The  trembling  was  a  symmetrical  movement  iu 
both  lbrelcgs,and  in  both  hindlegs,  resiicctively,  the  two  forelegs  moving  inde- 
pendently of  the  liiiidcr  ones,  and  vice  versa;  the  leg  moved  with  a  jerk, 
which  extended  through  tlie  entire  limb  from  shoulder  to  paw.  There  was  no 
irregular  contraction  of  independent  muscles.  The  muscles  did  not  become 
hard,  nor  did  the  dog's  body  leel  harder  or  hotter  than  usual.  The  spasmodic 
jcrkings  and  movements  occurred  once  every  ten  seconds;  and  the  legs  now 


1888.]  THE  AnnOW-FOISON   OF  THE  PIGMIES.  313 

moved  after  the  fasliion  of  n  liorse  trotting.  Tlie  dog  would  not  drink  water. 
It  became  very  rigid  and  stiti'  in  about  two  (to  two  and  a  hall)  hours  afier 
death. 

The  Monbuttu  woman  said  that  the  dog  would  die  in  three  days,  and 
remarked  tbat  when  natives  die  Irom  the  poison  they  always  have  their  eyes 
open  like  the  dog,  and  also  pass  dark-coloured  fajces  under  them.  I  had  tlic 
opportunity  of  observing  the  action  of  the  poisoned  arrows  on  human  beings 
in  the  following  cases  : — 

At  Avisihha. — Many  men  were  wounded  by  poisoned  arrows  on  August  14, 
1887,  and  died,  of  undoubted  tetanus,  four  to  six  days  afterwards. 

At  Fort  Bodo. — A  Zanzibari  was  wounded  by  a  very  small  puncture  from  a 
poisoned  arrow  at  9.30  a.m.  He  walked  one  mile  into  camp,  was  very  anxious 
and  alarmed,  said  there  was  no  pain,  suddenly  vomited  some  watery  fluid, 
commenced  to  breathe  stertorously,  and  protruded  his  tongue:  the  con- 
junctiva lost  sensitiveness;  involuntary  evacuation  of  faeces  took  place;  there 
was  no  pulse ;  and  only  an  occasional  gasp,  or  respiration.  He  vomited  about 
one  hour  and  twenty  minutes  alter  being  wounded,  and  died  in  about  seven 
minutes  after  he  had  vomited. 


The  Antidote. 

The  antidote  used  by  tlie  pigmies  is  prepared  from  portions  of  three  plants, 
and  is  a  white  powder. 

1.  Leaves. — These  are  from  three  or  four  inches  to  nearly  a  foot  long,  and 
aiv  about  three  inches  wide  in  the  broadest  part,  of  a  yellowish  or  slightly  mauve 
colour  on  the  upper  surface,  and  of  a  pale  slate  colour  underneath  (glaucous). 
The  i^lant  on  which  they  grow  is  a  bush  which  rarely  exceeds  ten  or  twelve 
feet  in  height,  and  is  one  of  the  commonest  plants  in  the  forest.  The  stem 
is  of  a  dark  green  colour,  lather  rough,  and  rarely  exceeds  a  couple  of  inches 
in  diameter. 

The  wood  of  the  stem  is  tough.  The  tap  root  is  long  and  tapering,  with 
very  few  branches.  The  extreme  top  of  each  branch  is  of  a  brown  colour 
and  velvety  appearance,  owing  to  the  number  of  short  brown  hairs  witii 
which  it  is  covered  ;  there  are  none  of  those  hairs  on  the  lower  part  of  the 
branches.  Only  the  light  coloured  yellowish  leaves  are  used,  and  the  midrib 
of  these  is  removed.  Some  trees  have  no  light  coloured  leaves,  and  they 
occur  only  in  the  proportion  of  1  to  100,  or  so,  when  they  are  found.  These 
yellowisii  leaves  are  dried  in  the  sun  ;  and  then  become  browner  al)ove,  and  ot 
a  darker  slate  colour  beneath.  There  were  no  flowers  or  fruit  on  the  bush.  I 
have  frequently  seen  my  donkey  eat  these  leaves. 

The  Monbuttu  name  of  the  tree  is  Bandoree,  and  the  Wasongora  name  is 
the  same. 

2.  Leaves. — These  leaves  are  dark  green  above,  and  of  a  paler  green  under- 
neath ;  the  midrib  is  covered  with  brownish  hairs.  On  the  upper  surface  of 
the  leaf  these  hairs  are  visible  only  on  the  midrib ;  but  on  the  underside  they 
occur  along  the  lateral  veins,  and  are  scattered  over  the  whole  surface.  The 
leaf  is  feather-veined,  the  lateral  veins  being  alternate  below,  but  more  or 
less  opposite  towards  the  ui>per  half  of  the  leaf. 

Tlie  leaves  are  obtained  from  a  large  tree,  which  grows  to  a  great  height  in 
the  forest;  it  is  generally  one  to  one  and  a  half  feet  in  diameter.  In  the 
specimen  seen  by  me  the  tree  had  been  cut  about  three  feet  Irom  the  ground, 
and  young  shoots  had  sprung  up  at  the  margin  of  the  cut  surface.  _  These 
shoots  were  five  or  six  feet  long,  of  a  brown  colour  for  the  lower  third,  and 
the  upper  two-thirds  were  covered  with  very  numerous  small  grey-coloured 
hairs ;  the  bark  being  light  green  in  the  angle  of  the  junction  of  the  shoots, 
and  on  the  cut  end  of  the  stem  or  main  trunk.  The  leaves  a])j  ear  to  mostly 
grow  opposite  each  otlier  on  the  branch,  but  this  is  not  invariably  the  case. 


ol4  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 


AMTIDOTE    NO.    2. — SKKTCIIES   OF   STIOM    AND   LEAF. 


1888.] 


THE  ARROW-FOISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES, 


315 


In  outline  they  are  lanceolate,  with  an  acuminate  apex.  In  size  tliey  are 
from  eight  to  fourteen  inches  long,  and  about  three  inches  broad.  The  lamina 
without  the  midrib  is  used. 

The  Monbuttu  name  of  the  tree  is  Meahngahkee :  the  Wasongora  name 
Epoongah. 

3.  The  Leaves  and  Scrapings  of  the  Young  Branches. — The  tree  from  which 
the  leaves  are  obtained  grows  to  a  great  height  in  the  forest,  and  is  generally 
about  two  feek  in  diameter.  The  stem  of  the  specimen  I  saw  was  only  a  few 
inches  in  diameter.     The  small  shoots  which  grow  from  the  cut  surface  were 


ANTIDOTE   NO.    3.— SKETCHES   OF   STEM   AND   LEAF. 

taken,  but  the  small  branches  of  the  tree  would  also  do.  The  branches  are 
of  a  hght  green  colour,  like  young  grass,  quite  pliable  and  smooth,  except 
where  the  leaves  come  off.  The  leaf  is  Hke  No.  2  in  sha]3e,  but  is  not  hairy, 
and  is  smaller,  about  six  inches  long,  and  two  and  a  half  broad ;  dark  green 
above,  and  of  a  lighter  colour  beneath. 

The  midrib  of  the  leaf  is  thrown  away,  and  the  lamina  of  the  leaf  pounded 
with  a  little  of  the  scrapings  of  the  bark  of  the  smooth  branches. 

The  Monbuttu  name  for  the  tree  is  Ekhahngah :  the  Wasongora  name 
is  Whohro. 


31G  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOIlIAL   AFItlCA.  [1888- 

TART  IL— IDENTIFICATION   OF   THE   MATERIAL. 

By  E.  M.  Holmes,  F.L.S. 

The  Poison. 

The  specimens  above  described  have  been  kindly  presented  to  the  Musemn 
of  this  Society  by  Surgeon  Parke,  D.C.L.  It  has  been  found  possible  by  mean* 
of  the  material  existing  in  the  Museum  to  identify  some  of  them,  and  it  is- 
■hoptd  that  in  course  of  time,  when  the  botany  of  the  Congo  is  better  known, 
it  may  be  possible  to  identify  the  whole.  Even  with  the  knowledge  now 
obtained  it  may  be  possible  for  therapeutists  to  suggest  a  reliable  anti- 
dote for  travellers  to  use  when  passing  through  the  great  Central  African, 
forest. 

1.  Tlie  Parlc. — I  at  once  recognized  this  as  the  bark  of  Erythrophlaiuirt, 
Guineense,  Don.  A  specimen  of  tliis  bark  exists  in  the  Museum,  obtained^ 
together  with  specimens  of  the  leaves  and  flowers,  by  Dr.  S.  F.  McGill,  fromi 
Cajie  Talmas,  in  Liberia.  These  were  shown  to  Surgeon  Parke,  who  recoirnizedi 
the  leaves  as  being  like  those  of  the  tree  from  which  the  No.  1  bark  was- 
taken  by  the  IMonbuttu  woman.  In  structure,  as  well  as  in  appearance,  the 
bark  agrees  with  that  of  Erythroi^h^xum  Guineense.  As  only  one  species  of 
this  genus  is  known  to  occur  in  the  mainland  of  Africa,  although  a  second 
{E.  Couminga,  Baill.)  is  found  in  the  Seychelles,  there  can  be  little  doubt  of 
the  identification  here  given.  The  Monbuttu  and  Wasongora  names  add 
further  synonyms  to  the  many  names  already  given  by  different  races  to  this- 
bark,  viz..  Sassy,  Mancona,  Casca,  etc. 

An  excellent  summary  of  the  literature  of  Sassy  b.irk  will  be  found  iu 
Stille  and  Maisch's  'National  Dispensatoiy'  (4th  ed.),  p.  588. 

The  following  quotation  from  that  work  will  show  that  the  symptoms, 
exhibited  by  Lieutenant  Stairs'  dog  were  evidently  largely  due  to  Sassy  bark. 
Remarking  on  its  effects  on  animals  (as  recorded  by  Dr.  S.  Weir  Mitchell 
and  W.  A.  Hammond,  of  Philadelphia,  in  1859)  the  authors  say  : — 

"  Its  most  conspicnoua  effect  was  general  muscular  i-elaxation,  so  that  the- 

animal  would  remain  quiescent  in  Avhatever  position  it  was  piaced 

When  a  fatal  dose  was  administered  the  head  fell  and  was  caught  up  again, 
and  at  last  reposed  on  the  fore  paws,  vomiting  usually  took  place,  the  pupils- 
contracted,  the  heart  became  slow  and  irregular,  the  respiration  quick  and 
laboured,  and  at  length  death  occurred  v.iih  general  convulsions  aud  suddeii 
dilatation  of  the  pupils." 

2.  Larcje  Green  Leaf. — This  has  been  idel^tif^ed  for  me  by  Mr.  C.  B.  Clarke, 
M.A.,  (who  has  paid  special  attention  to  the  group  of  plants  to  which  it  belongs) 
as  Palisota  Barteri,  IJenth.,  of  the  natural  order  Commelynacex.  The  plant  is 
figured  in  the  Botanical  Magazine,  t.  5318. 

There  is,  however,  some  little  difficulty  concerning  this  plant.  I  have 
myself  seen  the  specimens  of  J\  Barteri  in  the  Kew  Herbarium,  and  find 
that  the  leaves  of  dill'erent  specimens  vary  slightly  in  hairiness,  &c.,  but  the 
leaf  brought  by  Sm-geon  Parke  exactly  corresponds  with  one  specimen  of 
P.  Barteri  in  the  Kew  Herbarium,  collected  in  the  land  of  the  Monbuttu  by 
Dr.  Scliweinfurtli,  in  April,  1870,  No.  3721. 

Surgeon  Parke  mentions  the  llower  as  being  strongly  perfumed  and  several 
inches  in  diameter.  But  the  flowers  of  Palisota  Barteri  are  very  small,  and 
are  arranged  in  a  duise  raceme  two  or  three  inches  long.  The  de.-cri[)tion  of 
the  flower  given  by  Surgeon  ParUe  would  apply  to  a  JJedychium  but  not  to 
the  Palisota. 

Surgeon  Parke  assures  me,  however,  that  there  is  no  doubt  about  the  leaf 
being  the  one  used,  althougli  he  may  be  mistaken  about  the  flower,  which. 


1888.]  THE  ARROW-POISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES.  317 

may  have  belonged  to  auotlier  plant  with  leaves  similar  in  a)-ipearancc.  The 
leaves  of  Palisota  Barteri  are  described  in  the  Botanical  Mw/azine  as  being 
■only  "  one  to  two  feet  long,  with  a  petiole  of  variable  length,"  which  is  only 
half  or  one-third  the  size  of  those  observed  by  Di-.  Parke.  There  can,  how- 
ever, be  no  question  that  the  leaf  used  for  the  arrow  poison  is  that  of  a  Corn- 
melynaceous  i^lant,  and  very  little  doubt  that  it  is  the  leaf  of  P.  Barteri. 
The  plants  of  this  natural  order  are  not,  that  I  am  aware  of,  known  to 
possess  poisonous  properties,  although  several  are  used  as  diuretics,  etc. 
This  ingredient  of  the  poisou  need  not  therefore  be  considered  an  im- 
iportant  one. 

3.  Thorny  Creeper. — This  consists  of  a  hollow  woody  stem  about  three  or 
four  lines  in  diameter,  with  whorls  of  three  spines  at  intervals  of  about  four 
■or  five  inches.  The  spines,  which  are  the  hardened  bases  of  the  petioles  of 
fallen  leaves,  are  slightly  bent  backward,  and  have  the  remains  of  a  hairy  loaf 
bud  in  the  axil.  The  bark  is  smooth  and  laminate  in  structure,  the  lamina? 
breaking  up  easily  into  flat  fibres.  On  examination  with  a  lens  the  meduUarv 
rays  are  seen  to  be  very  numerous  and  narrow,  and  the  season's  growth  is 
marked  by  an  irregular  ring  of  large  porous  vessels.  When  a  litJtle  of  the 
bark  is  chewed  the  taste  is  not  perceptibly  bitter.  On  showing  the  stem  to 
Mr.  N.  E.  Brown,  of  the  Kew  Herbarium,  he  sugsrested  the  genus  Combretnm 
as  containing  some  plants  having  a  similar  habit  of  growth.  On  looking 
through  the  African  species  in  the  Kew  Herbarium,  however,  I  could  not 
■find  any  stem  exactly  like  it.  I  then  forwarded  a  piece  of  the  stem  to 
Dr.  Eadlkofer,  of  Munich,  who  is  probably  the  greatest  authority  iu  Europe 
on  stem  structure.     He  replied,  "  the  stem  is  a  Combretum." 

In  the  '  Flora  of  Tropical  Africn,'  vol.  ii.,  pp.  421  to  433,  there  are  two 
species  which  resemble  Dr.  Parke's  thorny  creeper  in  certain  particulars. 
One  is  C.  confertum,  Laws.,  a  native  of  the  Congo  and  Fernando  Po,  which 
has  smooth  dark  brown  bark,  and  the  bases  of  the  leaves  form  persistent 
spines.  It  is  also  described  as  a  twining  shrub,  and  in  the  '  Niger  Flora '  the 
young  branches  and  petioles  are  said  to  be  puberulent,  which  agrees  with  the 
fact  that  small  brown  simple  hairs  are  present  on  the  leaf-bud. 

In  another  species,  C.  grandiflorum,  Don.,  which  is  also  found  in  the 
Congo,  and  is  a  scandent  shrub,  the  internodes  are  four  or  five  inches  apart, 
and  the  bark  is  of  a  dark  colour. 

But  in  neither  of  these  species  in. the  herbaria  at  Kew  and  the  British 
Museum  are  there  three  thorns  in  a  whorl. 

In  the  absence  of  leaves,  therefore,  the  most  that  can  he  said  is  that  the 
stem  is  derived  Irom  a  species  of  Combretnm,  and  iirobably  either  that  of 
G.  confertum  or  C.  grandiflorum,  or  of  .an  undescribed  species. 

Comparatively  little  is  known  of  tlie  physiological  action  of  the  plants  of 
this  natural  order.  The  species  of  the  genus  Terminalia  are  remarkable  for 
■their  astringency,  and  some  of  them  for  a  yellow  colouring  matter ;  those  of 
Quisqualis  possess  anthelmintic  properties,  ().  indica  occasionally  causing 
spasms  and  other  ill  effects  ;  and  the  seeds  of  Cacoucia  coccinea  are  used  as  a 
poison  for  bats  in  British  Guiana. 

A  few  preliminary  experiments  made  at  my  request  upon  a  small  portion 
■of  the  thorny  creeper,  by  Dr.  F.  W.  Passmore,  indicate  that  there  is  no 
alkaloid  and  no  tannin  present,  but  evidence  was  obtained  of  the  presence  of 
•a  glucoside. 

(It  may  be  interesting  to  mention  in  this  connection  that  the  seed  of  the 
Cacoucia  was  examined  by  Mr.  F.  Short,  Demonstrator  in  the  Society's 
Laboratory,  and  was  found  to  contain  a  crystalline  body  which  gave  the  re- 
actions for  an  alkaloid.  It  is  quite  possible,  therefore,  that  the  thorny  creeper 
■may  possess  a  poisonous  action,  althou;:h  the  taste  does  not  indicate  it.) 

4.  Oreen  Stem. — Judging  from  the  structure  of  the  stem*  and  from  the 


*  In  this  I  am  confirmed  by  Dr.  L.  Eadlkofer,  who  has  seen  the  stem. 


318  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888, 

character  of  the  single  imperfect  leaf  brought  home  by  Surgeon  Parke,  this 
ingredient  consists  of  the  stems  of  a  species  of  Strychnos,  probably  S.  Icaja, 
Baillon.  The  scars  on  the  stem  are  opposite  and  indicate  opposite  leaves,  and 
the  venation  of  the  leaf  is  that  characteristic  of  the  genus  Strychnos.  Of  this 
genus  there  are  several  African  species  known,  but  only  two  of  these  have 
leaves  as  large  as  the  one  under  consideration.  Of  these  the  S.  Icaja,  Bail], 
(S.  M'boundou  of  Heckel)  is  known  to  be  used  in  the  Gaboon  as  an  arrow 
poison  and  to  be  employed  by  the  pigmies.  * 

In  the  Hanbury  Herbarium  there  exists  a  specimen  of  this  plant,  and  on 
seeing  Surgeon  Parke's  specimen,  I  at  once  recognized  the  strong  resemblance 
•to  this  plant  which  it  possessed.  On  showing  the  Hanbury  specimen  to 
Surgeon  Parke  he  pointed  out  the  acuminate  apex  of  the  leaf  as  having- 
particularly  attracted  his  attention  in  the  growing  plant  and  expressed  nO' 
doubt  concerning  their  identity.  The  physiological  action  of  this  Stryclinos 
has  not  been  very  satisfactorily  determined,  although  it  is  known  to  be- 
poisonous.  Eabuteau  (1870)  attributed  its  action  to  brucine,  Kauffeisen  tO' 
two  alkaloids,  the  one  a  convulsant  and  the  other  a  narcotic.  According  to 
Heckel  and  Schlagdenhauffen  the  bark  contains  strychnine  but  not  brucine.. 
They  state  that  the  parenchyma  of  the  liber  can  be  proved  to  contain  this- 
alkaloid  by  the  use  of  sulphuric  acid  and  bichromate  of  potassium,  which  give 
the  well  known  colour  reaction  of  strychnine  in  this  part  of  the  tissue  of 
the  bark. 

It  seems  possible,  therefore,  that  the  tetanic  symptoms  which  were  observed 
in  all  the  men  who  died  at  Avisibba,  may  have  been  due  to  the  action  of 
strychnine  contained  in  these  leaves,  and  which  might  have  been  absorbed 
more  slowly  than  the  Sassy  poison.  At  all  events.  Surgeon  Parke  notes  that 
it  is  remarkable  that  all  those  wounded  by  poisoned  arrows  died  of  tetanus, 
-whilst  those  who  were  otherwise  wounded  did  not  suffer  from  tetanus.  At 
first  he  felt  inclined  to  think  the  tetanus  might  be  traumatic,  but  his  subse- 
quent experience  did  not  confirm  this  opinion. 

5.  /Seer^s.— These  seeds  Surgeon  Parke  tells  me  were  found  in  a  hut,  and 
were  not  gathered  from  the  plant.  They  are  about  the  size  of  a  small  apple 
pip,  being  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long  and  rather  more  than  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
broad  at  the  larger  end.  The  hilum  is  small,  oval,  and  placed  on  the  tapering 
end  of  the  seed.  In  transverse  section  the  seed  is  seen  to  be  exalbuminous 
■with  the  radicle  accnmbent.  Thinking  the  seed  might  be  that  of  a  Tephrosia, 
several  plants  of  this  genus  being  used  as  fish  poisons  in  Africa,  I  compared 
it  with  the  seed  of  Tephrosia  Vogelii,  a  well  known  African  species,  with  which 
it  agrees  perfectly.  By  the  kindness  of  the  Curator  of  the  Kew  Museum,. 
]\Ir.  J.  E.  Jackson,  I  am  enabled  to  show  some  of  this  seed  for  comparison. 


*  Strychnos  Icaja  Avas  so  named  by  Dr.  H.  Baillon  from  specimens  given, 
to  him  by  MM.  Franquet  and  Aubrey  Lecomte  in  1853-4.  The^e  specimens 
were  not  in  flower  and  consisted  of  leaves  and  roots.  The  plant  grows  in  the. 
Gaboon,  especially  about  the  Isle  of  Koniquet.  It  has  also  been  gathered; 
near  the  river  Vorao.  Dr.  P.aillon  described  S.  Icaja  as  having  leaves  10-15 
centimetres  long,  arid  7  or  8  broad,  with  a  petiole  of  1  centimetre  long,  the 
veinlets  bctweeii  the  three  main  ribs  of  the  leaf  being  transverse  or  oblique. 
In  the  Kew  Herbarium  there  is  a  specimen  of  a  iilant  collected  by  Dr.  Schwein- 
furth,  No.  3r)97,  in  the  land  of  the  Monbutti,  in  ilower  in  April,  1870,  which 
answers  to  the  above  description.  This  jilant  is  referred  to  S.  densi/lora,  Baill., 
a  species  collected  by  Heudelot  near  FoutaDhiallon  in  Senegambia,but  which 
differs  from  *S'.  Icaja  in  the  shorter  leaves  with  a  shorter  acuminate  point. 
In  the  absence  of  the  flowers  of  S.  Icaja,  Baill.,  it  is  not  possible  to  say 
whether  this  plant  is  merely  a  form  of  S.  densijlora  or  a  distinct  species  (see- 
'  Adamsonia,'  xii.,  p.  369).  The  leaf  brought  home  by  Surgeon  Parke,  how- 
ever, resembles  the  S.  Icaja  more  than  the  typical  S.  densijlora. 


1888.]  THE  Ali HOW- POISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES.  319' 

The  properties  of  the  genus  Tephrosia  appear  to  be  of  a  narcotic  character,  but 
required  further  investigation.* 

It  is  obvious,  therefore,  that  in  this  arrow  poison  the  two  chief  active 
ingredients  are  erythrophlceine  and  strychnine,  poisons  the  action  of  which  is 
known,  and  for  which  it  is  by  no  means  impossible  that  a  physiological 
antidote  could  lie  provided. 

Antidotes. 

The  native  antidote  consists  of  the  leaves  of  three  plants  and  the  young  bark 
of  one  of  the  plants.  The  white  powder  which  is  prepared,  has  been 
examined  by  Sir  Charles  Cameron,  of  Dublin,  and  proves  to  consist  simply  of 
wood  ashes.  It  is  "  an  alkaline  material  containing  carbonate  of  potassium, 
chloride  of  potassium,  and  carbonate  and  phosphate  of  calcium.  It  is,  of 
course,  a  caustic  and  antacid." 

Of  the  three  plants  employed  only  leaves  and  stem  were  brought  home,  and 
these  do  not  possess  any  very  deiinite  distinctive  character  except  No.  1,  the 
leaves  of  which  have  a  remarkable  glaucous  appearance  on  the  under  surface, 
and  under  the  microscope  present  numerous  resin  glands.  Professor  Oliver, 
late  Keeper  of  the  Kew  Herbarium,  suggests  the  genus  TJnona  as  that  to 
which  the  leaf  probably  belongs.  I  have  compared  the  leaves  with  the  plants 
of  the  genus  both  at  Kew  and  the  British  Museum,  and  find  that  they 
approach  very  nearly  to  U.  hicidula,  Oliv.,  but  differ  slightly  in  venation  and 
in  the  presence  of  appressed  hairs,  those  of  the  antidote  being  spreading.  I'he 
plants  of  the  Anonacex  are  chiefly  remarkable  for  aromatic  and  stimulant 
properties. 

Nos.  2  and  3  must  therefore  remain  unidentified  imtil  better  material  can. 
be  obtained.  This,  however,  is  of  comparatively  little  importance,  since,  the 
nature  of  the  poison  being  known,  it  may  be  quite  possible  for  therapeutists 
to  devise  an  antidote  superior  to  the  one  used  by  the  pigmies. 

[It  will  be  easily  seen  that  there  are  two  chief  poisons 
used  in  the  above  pigmy  preparation  for  arrows,  and  both 
of  which  have  quite  different  actions.  When  ErythropJi- 
Iseum  is  in  excess  in  the  poison,  then  muscular  relaxation  is 
the  prominent  symptom  ;  when  Strychnos  forms  the  principal 
ingredient,  tetanic  symptoms  are  present  —  therefore  the 
different  physiological  actions  exhibited  by  our  men  and  by 
Stairs'  dog  are  easily  explained  and  understood.] 

Nov.  28. — To-day  I  tabulated  some  of  the  results  of  my 
experiences  of  our  farming  operations,  they  are  as  follows  : 

*  After  this  paper  was  read,  I  received  from  Sir  C.  Cameron  one  of  the 
seeds  seat  him  by  Surgeon  Parke.  This  proves  on  examination  to  be  the  seed 
of  Erythrophlaiiom  Guineense,  and  is  the  one  used  in  the  poison,  vide  Sketch. 
No.  5  (Poison),  as  it  is  the  produce  of  a  large  tree,  not  a  shrub. — E.  M.  H. 


S20 


EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA. 


[1888. 


— 

Interval  between 
Phii.tiDg  and  Appear- 
ance above  Ground. 

From  Appearance 

above  Ground  till 

Ripening. 

Observations. 

Mens. 

Weeks. 

Days. 

Mons. 

Weeks. 

Days. 

Indian  corn 

Peas      .... 

•• 

4 

10 

4 

8 

20 

12 

8 

0 

0 
0 

3 
9 

2 

8 
3 
4 
3 
2 

4 
5 

0 

0 
3 

I 
I 

0 
0 

10 

2 

0 

0 
0 

0 

0 
0 

("S  ome  ti  m  e  s 
1  takes  4  months 
(  to  ripen. 

Beans  .... 

Hatemmali 
Onions. 

Watermelons.      . 
Pumpkins  . 
Brinjals 

Peringanis  . 

Pice      .... 

;• 

•• 

1 

•• 
2" 
0 

1 

J  Kiflney     beans 
\  took  52  days. 

None    of   these 
were  ever  wa- 
tered  artifi- 
cially;    rain- 
water sufficed. 

The  scouts,  on  returning  to-day,  reported  that  the  elephants 
had  destroyed  a  very  large  portion  of  the  banana  plantation. 
Now,  the  scouting  party  go  out  twice  a  week,  and  their  duty 
is  to  keep  off  the  natives,  and  the  elephants ;  and  also  to 
a-eport  the  results  of  their  observations  every  day.  They  had 
been  over  the  same  ground  a  few  days  ago,  and  had  told  us 
nothing  of  the  existence  of  any  damage  of  this  kind.  When 
.cross-examined  on  this  point,  and  asked  why  they  did  not 
give  an  earlier  report  of  the  mischief,  which  they  now  say 
had  been  going  on  for  some  time,  their  chief,  Ali  Jumba, 
•replied,  "  Oh  !  if  I  had  reported  this,  you  might  have  thought 
that  I  wanted  to  go  to  the  plain."  I  do  believe  that  the  real 
•reason  for  their  silence  was  to  give  the  elephants  time  to 
destroy  all  the  bananas,  so  that  they  could  then  say  with  sonie 
show  of  reason,  "  We  must  go  to  the  plain  now,  as  there  is  no 
'food  to  be  got  here."  This  is  a  typical  specimen  of  the 
Zanzibari  method  of  doing  things  "  right  and  straight "  for 
the  white  man. 

Nov.  29. — We  overhauled  some  of  our  rifles  and  ammunition. 

Stairs  went  out  with  the  scouts  to-day,  on  account  of  the 
unsatisfactory  nature  of  the  report  of  yesterday.  He  has 
just  returned  after  visiting  the  scene  of  the  alleged  mis- 
.chievous  attempts  of  the  elephants  to  destroy  all  our  bananas. 


1888.]  THE  ARROW-POISON   OF   THE  PIGMIES.  321 

He  found  that  the  actual  damage  was  little  or  nothing.  On 
his  rounds  he  discovered  a  new  plantation  where  there  are 
plenty  of  bananas. 

Nov.  30. — The  men  finished  the  planting  of  the  small  fields 
to  the  east  of  the  Fort,  to-day ;  all  the  farm  is  now  sown 
with  corn  and  beans,  &c.,  excepting  a  few  small  patches, 
which  are  to  be  utilised  for  tobacco,  a  few  small  plots  of  peas, 
and  a  few  other  minor  items. 

Dec.  1. — The  first  day  of  the  last  month,  and  Christmas  in 
twenty-four  days  !  We  are  already  puzzling  our  wits  about  the 
invention  of  a  dinner  for  Christmas  ;  our  available  materials 
consist  of  bananas,  herbs,  peas,  beans,  corn  and  rice.  There 
are  no  fresh  fruits  in  this  neighbourhood,  except  mabunga 
(fruit  of  the  india-rubber  vine).  We  make  a  very  filling  (but 
flatulent)  soup  from  skinned  beans.  We  also  jDrovide  a  good 
dish  of  greens,  by  boiling  the  tops  and  flowers  of  the  pumpkin. 
However,  notwithstanding  the  elementary  nature  of  our  diet, 
both  Stairs  and  myself  are  in  good  health,  and  strong.  Nelson 
is  still  very  delicate  ;  he  sleeps  well,  and  cannot  take  much 
exercise,  but  he  never  will  thoroughly  recover  until  he  gets 
meat. 

Dec.  2. — First  Sunday  in  Advent.  I  had  a  severe  attack 
of  fever  on  yesterday  afternoon,  the  first  since  the  26th  of 
October.  A.  heavy  shower  of  hail  fell  this  morning,  making 
the  fourth  shower  which  has  fallen  within  the  last  twelve 
months.  There  had  been  no.  rain  for  several  days  until 
Saturday  last. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  due  here,  according  to  his  own  calculation, 
in  about  fourteen  days ;  by  the  same  authority  he  is  to  reach 
the  Albert  Nyanza  on  the  2nd  of  January,  1889. 
Dec.  3.—  .  .  .  . 

Dec.  4. — I  went  out  this  morning  with  a  party  of  nine  men, 
to  reconnoitre  the  position,  &c.,  of  the  plantation.  We  came 
upon  six  natives,  who  lay  in  ambush  and  shot  at  us  with, 
poisoned  arrows.  They  escaped,  as  they  always  do,  they  are 
so  extraordinarily  nimble ;  and  when  they  have  got  a  yard  or 
two  ahead  into  the  bush,  it  is  impossible  to  see  them  on 
account  of  the  extreme  density  of  the  foliage.  One  of  my 
men  was  wounded  :  a  native  woman  was  hit  in  the  leg. 

At  a  short  distance  further  off,  we  found  a  few  banana 
leaves,  mounted  on  sticks,  and   arranged   so   as   to   from   a 

Y 


r)22  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOEIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

shade  to  keep  off  rain.  Some  of  the  natives  had  evidently 
used  this  as  a  camping-ground  for  a  sliort  period,  for  we  found 
some  dried  bananas  lying  about :  also  some  bows,  quivers,  and 
arrows ;  we  were  more  gratified  to  find  three  earthen  pots, 
which  the  natives  use  in  cooking.  I  took  these,  as  we 
wanted  them  badly,  for  most  of  ours  had  been  broken  since  we 
settled  at  the  Fort.  We  also  found  a  little  porridge  (scalded 
banana)  flour,  which  had  been  just  freshly  made ;  and  a  few 
leathern  belts,  which  is  the  only  native  article  of  apparel. 
The  discovery  of  this  sample  of  porridge  here  struck  me  as  very 
peculiar;  the  first  place  where  we  had  seen  bananas  dried  and 
pounded  into  flour  was  at  Ugarrowwa's  camp — even  the 
Zanzibaris,  and  the  other  natives,  whom  we  have  met  on  our 
line  of  progress,  had  not  known  this  method  of  preparing 
bananas  for  food,  till  they  saw  it  used  by  us.  So  it  is  evident 
that  the  few  natives  with  whom  we  had  become  intimate  on 
our  way,  had  returned  to  their  villages,  and  told  their  neigh- 
bours what  they  had  seen  us  do. 

Ever  since  we  learned  this  method  of  preparing  our 
bananas,  we  have  been  able  to  diminish  our  risk  of  starvation 
very  considerably.  We  can  make  enough  flour  in  one  day  for 
several  days'  rations ;  and  the  weight  is  so  much  less  than  that 
of  the  corresponding  quantity  of  the  green  bananas,  that  men 
can  carry  a  considerable  number  of  days'  rations  with  them,  in 
addition  to  their  other  loads,  whereas  they  could  not  manage 
more  than  a  couple  of  days'  supply  of  the  green  bananas. 
The  banana  flour  is  most  nutritious,  and  very  sustaining. 

We  have  commenced  the  cutting-down  of  our  rice  croj) 
to-day ;  it  is  an  exceptionally  rich  one,  and  had  never  been 
artificially  watered  from  the  beginning.  The  great  downpour 
of  rain,  which  occurred  in  copious  quantity  for  a  considerable 
time,  proved  amply  suflicient. 

Great  quantities  of  locusts  of  various  colours,  green,  brown, 
and  black,  came  to  the  rice  field ;  they  are  not  unlike  grass- 
hoppers in  appearance  and  size.  We  catch  them  in  hundreds, 
toast  them  on  the  frying-pan,  where  they  are  cooked  with  a 
"  hop  "  and  a  "  crack  ;  "  and  eat  them  as  a  condiment.  To-day 
I  measured  a  high  jump  which  had  been  cleared  by  an 
elephant;  it  was  over  eight  feet  in  perpendicular  elevation.  I 
had  previously  thought  the  ungainly  animal  incapable  of  such 
a  gymnastic  feat. 


1888.]  THE  AEEOW-FOISON   OF   THE  PIOMIEB,  o2?i 

My  Monbiittu  woman  informed  me  to-day  that  the  Wam- 
butti  and  Wasongora  men  have  but  one  wife  each — that  is  for 
an  ordinary  inhabitant;  but  the  Sultans  of  the  villages 
indulge  in  three  or  four.  .The  average  number  of  children 
— by  the  same  parents — is  about  six  or  seven.  She  also  tells 
me  that  if  a  native  says  to  the  husband  of  a  woman,  "  Give  me 
your  wife,"  he  will  be  shot  at  with  arrows  by  the  husband — not 
unlike  what  sometimes  happens  in  less  barbarous  countries. 

The  woman  who  had  been  shot  yesterday,  on  being  ap- 
proached by  one  of  our  men,  made  a  spasmodic  effort,  seized 
a  knife  from  the  ground,  which  had  been  dropped  near  her  by 
one  of  the  men  in  running  away,  and  made  a  vicious  attempt 
to  stab  the  Zanzibari  who  had  approached  to  help  her. 


>24  EXFEBIENCES   IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFniCA.         [1888v 


CHAPTEK  XYJI. 

LIFE     AT     FOKT     BODO. 

Traps  for  catcliing  ants — Condinicnt  made  of  mixed  and  pressed  auts — My 
lioy  Muftah  plays  further  tricks  on  nie — Native  method  of  catching  fi^li 
in  the  river — Narcotic  effect  exercised  on  the  fish  by  a  plant — A  sub- 
stitute for  table  salt  obtained  from  the  Pistia  Stratiotes — Muftnh  runs 
away  from  me  for  the  third  time — His  submissive  return — Weight  of 
Nelson,  Stairs,  and  myself — A  Zanzihari  game  resembling  draughts — AVe 
cut  our  rice  croji — Preparing  the  rice  grain — We  divide  a  quantity  of 
unhusked  rice — Tlie  continued  drought  detrimental  to  our  crops — By  a 
simple  device  Stairs  finds  the  true  north,  and  also  ascertains  the  time  of 
day — Stairs  and  myself  down  with  fever — No  excuse  for  Eniin  Pasha's 
non-appearance — Elephants  plunder  our  banana  plantation — We  manu- 
facture fairly  serviceable  boots  for  ourselves,  after  the  fashion  of  Veldt- 
schoons — Operation  of  removing  a  guinea-worm  from  one  of  the  Mahdi 
men — Damage  by  rats — A  welcome  downpour  of  rain — Nelson  treats  us- 
to  some  pombe,  or  banana  wine — The  soldiers  ofEquatoiia — Hojses  for 
Mr.  Stanley's  return — The  colour  of  our  corn — We  have  a  greater  variety 
of  food — Dining  a  Ja  carte. 

Dec.  5. — This  morning  I  Avent  into  the  forest,  with  my 
Monbuttii  attendant,  to  make  traps  for  collecting  ants,  as 
they  are  very  good  eating  when  properly  prej)ared.  They  aro 
mostly  Avinged.  We  catch  them  by  making  large  holes  close 
to  the  ant-hills,  and  putting  a  little  fire  in  the  bottom  of  each. 
During  the  night  the  ants  get  into  the  hole,  being  attracted 
by  the  heat,  and  in  the  morning  great  quantities  are  there — for 
us  to  do  with  as  Ave  think  proper.  We  find  them  of  variou  s- 
colours,  black,  brown,  and  white.  They  are  mashed  and 
pressed  together ;  and,  Avhen  cooked  in  this  way,  make  a  good 
hiteivayo  (condiment),  Avhich  gives  important  aid  in  the 
digestion  of  the  stuff  Avhich  Ave  are  obliged  to  use  Avith  sucli 
monotonous  uniformity  day  after  day.  The  black  ants,  make 
a  dark  paste,  not  unlike  caviare;  the  Avhite  ones,  a  similar 
paste,  but,  of  course,  of  a  light  colour,  and  more  piquant  as 
they  are  much  latter. 

My  WangAvana  boy,  Muftah,  has  been  trying  a  new  edition 
of  his  tricks   on   me   latterly.      My   Monbuttu  Avoman  con- 


1883.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  325 

iidentially  informetl  me  that  lie  ate  my  fish  hist  night.  He 
had  fervently  declared  to  me  on  returning  in  the  evening  that 
he  had  not  caught  any.  The  earnestness  of  his  asseverations 
made  me  suspicious ;  I  had,  however,  already  had  my  doubts, 
.as  he  has  for  some  time  been  bringing  me  but  a  few  small 
fish  at  a  time,  while  Nelson's  and  Stairs'  boys  brought  them 
£i  much  greater  number,  and  of  far  larger  size.  Accordingly, 
I  went  out  in  the  afternoon  with  this  hopeful  boy,  accom- 
panied by  my  faithful  Monbuttu,  and  one  of  the  men,  to 
.see  the  fish-baskets ;  which  were  set  in  holes  in  different 
parts  of  the  river.  I  had  them  all  taken  up,  and  brought 
further  up  in  the  river — to  new  places,  for  a  change.  I  had 
sent  him  out  with  definite  instructions  to  do  this  on  Monday 
last  (3rd  inst.)  ;  and  he  returned  to  inform  me  that  he  had 
brought  six  baskets  to  places  higher  up  in  the  river.  This 
statement,  as,  indeed,  I  had  already  more  than  half  sus- 
pected, I  now  found  to  have  been  a  lie. 

When  I  returned  to  camp  there  was  a  terrible  commotion 
amongst  the  boys,  as  Nelson's  boy,  Osmani,  charged  Muftah 
with  having  lifted  six  of  his  baskets.  This  is  considered  a 
great  crime  among  the  men ;  as  fish  form  their  only  Idtewayo. 
This  leaves  me  but  four  baskets,  instead  of  ten.  I  also  found 
out  that  Muftah  had  brought  three  of  my  baskets  to  his  friend 
Petteh,  obviously  to  give  the  latter  an  opportunity  of  setting 
them  in  some  pool  to  catch  fish  for  himself,  as  all  were  in  good 
order  and  completely  rigged  up,  requiring  no  repair.  On 
iirriving  at  camp,  the  young  rascal,  Muftah,  came  up  to  me, 
.and  asked  me  if  he  could  go  to  cut  wood.  I  gave  him  per- 
mission, and  he  has  not  yet  returned  to  get  my  place  ready 
for  dinner,  or  make  my  bed  :  I  expect  that  it  is  the  burden 
■of  his  guilty  conscience  which  retards  his  footsteps. 

The  fish  are  very  numerous  in  the  river;  it  is  fortunate  that 
the  supply  has  been  kept  up,  as  each  man  has  a  basket  in  the 
river  every  day.  They  are  very  small,  and  resemble  minnows 
■or  gudgeon.  They  are  caught  in  the  stream  from  which  we 
draw  water  for  drinking  and  cooking ;  this  is  distant  from  the 
fort  about  150  yards,  and  is  in  no  way  contaminated  by  the 
sewerage  or  refuse  from  the  latter.  There  are  certain  limits 
told  off  for  washing  and  bathing ;  and  other  special  portions 
for  drawing  drinking  water  only. 

There  is  a  small  plant  which  grows  here,  the   leaves  of 


326  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1SS8. 

which — when  thrown  into  the  water — appear  to  exercise  a 
narcotic  effect  of  some  kind  on  the  fish.  Some  of  the  latter^ 
soon  after  the  leaves  have  been  placed  in  the  water,  are  seen 
to  float — belly  upwards — and  can  then  be  easily  caught ;  but,, 
if  left  alone,  they  always  recover  after  some  hours,  and  are 
able  to  swim  away.  The  fish-baskets  are  ingeniously  made 
with  rattan  cane,  and  are  of  the  same  design  as  those  used  by 
the  natives  on  the  Congo,  Aruwimi,  and  Ituri  rivers. 

There  is  a  small  green  plant,  not  unlike  young  lettuce, 
which  grows  flat  over  the  surface  of  swamps,  and  in  enormous 
quantities,  so  as  completely  to  cover  over  the  surface  of  such 
places.  It  sends  down  a  great  number  of  rootlets,  which 
interlace  and  form  a  network,  strong  enough  to  support  a 
weight  of  two  or  three  pounds.  When  these  leaves  are 
collected  and  dried,  the  natives  prepare  a  substitute  for  table- 
salt  from  them,  by  burning  and  collecting  the  ashes.  They 
are  greatly  used  for  this  purpose  by  the  inhabitants  of  the 
forest,  who  have  no  other  source  from  which  to  obtain  salt  for 
domestic  uses.  The  salt  so  obtained  has  an  alkaline  (potash), 
as  well  as  a  salt,  taste.  The  plant,  when  fully  grown,  is  not 
unlike  the  house-leek  {Pistia  stratiotes). 

Dec.  6. — Muftah  has  not  yet  returned  to  me ;  I  suspect, 
however,  that  he  slept  in  the  fort  last  night  all  the  same, 
with  some  of  the  men — all  Zanzibaris  are  of  the  same  caste 
and  disposition,  and  are  very  clannish.  I  have  now  got  but 
five  fish-baskets  instead  of  eleven — I  put  a  new  one  in  yester- 
day. I  did  suspect,  when  making  my  investigation  yester- 
day, that  all  the  baskets  were  not  mine,  and  told  Muftah  as 
much  ;  but  with  the  usual  Zanzibari,  self-possession  and  inven- 
tive power,  he  almost  succeeded  in  persuading  me  that  they 
were  all  mine.  He  has  now  left  me  for  a  couple  of  days,  after 
Avhich  I  feel  certain  that  he  will  return,  prostrate  himself  on 
the  earth  before  me,  creep  towards  me,  and  kiss  my  boots  in 
evidence  of  devoted  humiliation.  When  asked  why  he  ran 
away,  and  reminded  that  there  was  no  one  to  get  me  anything 
to  eat,  make  my  bed,  &c.,  &c.,  he  will  say,  "  I  was  afraid  of 
you,  master,  to  return;"  the  odious  young  wretch  ought  to  say, 
"  I  was  ashamed  of  myself."  I  will  cure  him  of  some  of  these 
tricks  when  I  catch  him ;  and  also  give  him  some  reason  to  be 
afraid  of  me  in  future,  by  having  him  held  down  and  breaking 
a  few  saplings  over  the  prominences  of  his  surface.     This  is 


18S8.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  327 

the  third  time  the  villain  has  run  away  from  me,  and  I  have 
made  the  same  vow  every  time,  but  have  never  carried  it  out. 
I  believe  that  he  would  be  a  much  better  boy  if  I  had  been  a 
little  more  severe  with  him.  Sometimes  he  attains  the  sum- 
mit of  my  admiration,  and  sometimes  he  is  down  at  zero. 

We  white  men  weighed  ourselves  to-day ;  Stairs  has  in- 
creased in  weight  by  eight  pounds  since  Oct.  2nd  ;  Nelson 
h^s  lost  two  pounds ;  I  have  lost  exactly  the  same  amount  as 
Nelson. 

Stairs 151  Ihs. 

Nelson   .  .  .  .  .  .      138    ,, 

Parke 148    „ 

Muftah  came  back  this  afternoon,  and,  as  I  had  anticipated, 
approached  on  his  hands  and  knees  to  kiss  my  feet.  So  I  at 
once  sent  for  one  of  the  men,  and  had  a  dozen  "  administered  " 
to  him  with  a  cane  ;  it  is  not  too  much,  as  the  Zanzibari 
hide  is  very  thick.  It  is  strange  that  the  Zauzibaris,  if  com- 
manded by  one  of  us  whites,  will  immediately  seize  on  one 
of  their  comrades,  hold  him  down,  and  give  him  the  rod,  till 
told  to  stop ;  I  have  never  known  one  of  them  to  refuse. 

I  have  manufactured  a  draught-board  and  draughts,  so  that 
we*  may  have  an  occasional  game.  The  Zanzibaris  are  con- 
tinually playing  a  game  very  like  draughts — making  holes  in 
the  ground  as  a  substitute  for  squares,  and  using  sticks  or 
stones  for  draughtsmen. 

Dec.  7. — The  first  cutting  of  the  rice  is  finished  to-day ; 
there  was  exactly  one  acre  of  ground  planted.  It  took  ten-and- 
a-half  cups  of  rice  to  plant  it,  and  the  return  now  is  1 18  cups 
of  rice  to  one  cup  of  seed ;  but  there  is  to  be  yet  another 
cutting,  as  the  blades  which  were  not  quite  ripe  are  left  for 
six  or  eight  days  longer  to  ripen,  when  perhaps  one-sixth  of 
the  above  return  will  be  added.  The  rice-crojD  has  taken 
exactly  five  months  to  ripen  from  the  day  it  was  sown.  It  is 
very  easily  threshed.  In  cutting  down,  only  about  a  foot  of 
length  of  the  straw  is  removed  with  the  blade.  This  is  laid 
on  the  ground,  and  the  straiv  is  struck  and  threshed  with 
sticks ;  so  as  to  shake  out  the  rice-grain  above,  without 
bruising  it.  This  is  done  by  men  who  remain  sitting  down 
during  the  process.  The  husk  is  afterwards  removed,  by 
pounding  in  a  wooden  mortar,  and  sifting;  this  process 
separates  the  rice  completely  from  the  husk.      Locusts  and 


328  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [18SS. 

birds  are  very  destructive  to  the  rice-crop,  especially  a  kind 
of  weaver-bird  of  blackish  colour  (excepting  the  breast  which 
is  white),  this  bird  always  goes  about  in  flocks,  and  does  great 
mischief. 

Dec.  8. — Stairs  went  off  with  a  scouting  party  to-day, 
I  have  since  heard  three  shots,  but  do  not  know  what  they 
are  all  about.  The  peas  have  now  grown  too  long  to  remain 
upright ;  so  we  have  been  occupying  our  spare  time  to-day  in 
attaching  them  to  rods  for  support.  They  have  been  in  flower 
for  several  days. 

Stairs  has  now  returned ;  there  was  a  collision  with  some 
elephants,  and  all  three  shots  which  we  heard  took  effect. 

Dec.  9.— 

Dec.  10. — Yesterday  and  to-day,  Stairs  and  I  amused  our- 
selves by  planting  each  side  of  the  "  Albert  Nyanza  Avenue  " 
with  brinjals. 

Dec.  11.— 

Dec.  12. — Nelson  went  with  a  party  scouting  to-day,  but 
saw  nothing. 

Stairs  had  an  attack  of  fever  yesterday — the  first  for  a  long 
time.  He  is  somewhat  better  to-day — temperature  only  101""  F. 
We  divided  a  quantity  of  unhusked  rice  to-day  :  it  amounted 
to  twenty-eight-and-a-half  i^ekhis  (each  peechi  contains  four- 
teen cups)  in  the  husked  state.  (Without  the  husks  each 
peechi  represents  between  fi.^Q  and  six  cups.  When  there  is 
very  little  else  to  eat  with  it,  two  cups  (or  about  one  pound)  is 
enough  for  a  single  day's  ration.)  Of  this  quantity,  we  shall 
have  to  give  some — say  100  cups  in  all — from  each  of  our 
shares,  for  distribution  among  the  men.  About  one-and-a-half 
pecks  will  be  enough  for  each  of  our  three  shares.  We  are 
iilso  keeping  three  peckfuls  over  for  seed,  and  are  reserving 
twenty  cups  for  Emin  Pasha. 

Dec.  13. — I  have  now  been  appointed  head  gardener  of  the 
community.  We  have  very  few  vegetables  to  plant  which  are 
really  worth  growing. 

Stairs'  fever  still  continues,  although  not  very  high — his 
temperature  is  10U-2''F.  I  am  giving  him  antii^yrin,  also 
Warburg's  tincture. 

I  had  a  good  feed  of  locusts  for  luncheon — about  sixty  of 
them  ;  they  went  very  well  with  half  a  cup  of  rice.  The  men 
are  all  repairing  their  huts  to-day,  and  thatching  them  with 


1S88.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  DODO.  329 

bauana-leaves  ;  as  they  are  in  very  bad  coiiilitioii — both  walls 
^nd  roofs. 

There  has  been  no  rain  now  for  four  days ;  if  this  drought 
■continues  much  longer  our  corn-crops  will  be  ruined  by  the 
.scorching  sun.     Whenever  it  rains  here  we  call  it  fine  iveather. 

Stairs,  who  is  of  a  somewhat  scientific  turn  of  mind,  found 
the  true  north  to-day  by  a  very  simple  device ;  and  also  ascer- 
tained the  time  of  day.  He  placed  a  small  stick  upright  in 
the  ground,  then  described  a  circle  with  the  stick  as  centre ; 
this  was  done  before  noon.  Then,  as  the  sun  ascended  higher 
and  higher  in  the  heavens,  the  shadow  of  the  stick  grew 
shorter  and  shorter,  till  the  sun  arrived  at  the  meridian.  This, 
of  course,  was  exactly  at  noon,  a  point  of  time  which  cor- 
responded to  the  moment  when  the  length  of  shadow  had 
attained  its  minimum  extension.  This  point  was  exactly 
defined  by  repeating  the  observations  for  a  couple  of  days,  and 
marking  exactly  the  curve  described  by  the  shadow  on  the 
ground.  The  radius  of  the  circle  traced  around  the  stick  was 
intermediate  between  the  extreme  length  of  the  shadow,  so 
that  the  position  of  minimum  length  of  the  latter  was  accurately 
defined — by  taking  the  two  points  at  which  the  line  of  shadow^ 
intersected  the  circle,  and  bisecting  the  line  of  junction.  The 
line  joining  the  middle  point  with  the  position  of  the  stick 
itself  then  gave  the  line  of  the  shadow  at  twelve  o'clock  noon  : 
it  also  indicates  the  position  of  the  meridian  of  Fort  Bodo. 
The  magnetic  north  is  here  sixteen  degrees  to  the  east  of  the 
geographical  north. 

Dec.  14. — Stairs  went  off  with  the  men  to-day,  to  look  for 
bananas.  Both  he  and  I  had  high  fever  last  night — each  of 
us  having  a  temperature  of  over  101°  F.  I  attribute  our  recent 
attacks  to  the  fact  that  the  ground  has  been  deeply  hoed  for 
planting  our  corn-crop.  This  has  been  done  all  around  the 
Fort ;  and  the  operation  has,  pretty  evidently,  I  think,  set  the 
malaria  floating  about  in  quantity.  All  three  of  us  had 
remained  pretty  free  from  fever  while  the  corn  stood  high, 
and  the  ground  had  remained  unbroken  for  some  considerable 
time.     There  has  been  no  rain  for  the  past  five  or  six  days. 

On  this  day  twelvemonth,  Mr.  Stanley  arrived  at  the  Albert 
Nyanza  for  the  first  time :  we  may  have  still  another  twelve 
months  of  these  peregrinations  before  us,  and  all  because 
Emin  Pasha  did  not  come  in  his  steamers  to  meet  us.    He  might 


330  EXPERIENCES  IX  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [18S8.. 

have  done  so :  for  be  had  been  informed  by  letters  from  Zan- 
zibar that  we  should  arrive  on  the  14th  of  the  month,  and  we- 
actually  gained  our  destination  on  the  13th,  a  day  earlier  than 
the  one  named.  So  that  there  was  really  no  excuse  for  his- 
non-appearance.  He  might  have  come  down  to  warn  the 
natives;  and  I  suppose  would  have  done  so  if  he  had  had 
control  over  his  men,  so  as  to  be  able  to  utilise  his  steamers,, 
and  move  about  in  them  as  he  wished. 

Dec.  15. — I  went  out  with  the  scouts  to-day,  and  lighted 
some  huge  fires,  as  the  smoke  is  certainly  the  most  efiectual 
weapon  for  keeping  the  elephants  away.  The  brutes  have 
again  been  plundering  our  banana  plantations ;  and,  if  allowed 
to  persist  in  their  raids,  would  soon  uproot  everything  in  the 
shape  of  a  banana-tree  to  be  found  in  the  whole  neighbour- 
hood. 

We  are  now  furnished  with  fairly  serviceable  boots,  which 
we  have  made  ourselves,  after  the  fashion  of  veldtschoons  ;  the- 
soles  are  made  of  rhinoceros  or  hippo-hide,  and  the  uppers 
are  constructed  from  ox-hide.  They  wear  very  well,  except  for 
the  stitching,  which  is  always  giving  way — a  bad  testimony  to 
our  amateur  skill.  We  sew  with  thin  leathern  thongs,  or  with 
twine  or  cord — which  the  natives  prepare  from  grass  and  palm 
fibres.  However,  shaky  as  these  structures  are,  they  are  very 
useful  in  protecting  our  feet  from  thorns,  insects,  sharp  stones^ 
and  poisoned  spikes  which  the  natives  place  in  the  paths  to 
prevent  our  advance.  After  being  worn  for  some  days  in 
succession,  and  kept  constantly  soaked  by  having  to  wade 
through  so  many  streams,  they  develop  an  offensive  smell,  a& 
they  are  not  tanned.  Stairs  turns  put  the  most  fashionable- 
looking  article  ;  the  specimens  of  his  make  always  have  pointed 
toes ;  none  of  us  attempt  anything  in  the  way  of  heels.  One 
of  us  can  make  a  pair  of  shoes  in  two  days  by  working  steadily 
at  them.  All  members  of  the;  advance  column,  including  Mr, 
Stanley  himself,  Jeplison,  and  ourselves,  are  now  reduced  to 
wearing  these  imitations  of  civilised  manufacture. 

Dec.  16. — Exactly  six  months  ago  Mr.  Stanley  left  here  for 
Yambuya,  so  that  by  this  time  he  ought  to  be  near  us  on  his 
return  to  the  lake. 

One  of  the  Mahdi  men  here  got  a  small  swelling  on  his  leg- 
three  days  ago,  which  ajjpearcd  like  a  boil.  I  suspected  that 
it  was  a  guinea-worm,  as  its  presence  is  usually  ninnifestod  in 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FORT  BODO.  331 

this  way,  and  it  nearly  always  appears  on  one  of  the  lower 
extremities.  On  examining  it  this  morning,  I  found  that  the 
skin  had  ulcerated  over  the  most  prominent  part  of  the  swell- 
ing ;  and  the  worm  formed  a  small  projecting  cord,  like  a 
piece  of  white  thread.  I  adjusted  a  clove-hitch  of  strong 
thread  around  the  creature,  and  coiled  a  portion  of  it  round  a 
small  piece  of  stick ;  by  repeating  this  winding  process  care- 
fully it  will  all  be  got  away — if  no  break  occurs — within 
about  ten  days.  The  specimens  which  we  have  seen  are  about 
four  feet  long — they  may  vary  from  one  to  twelve  feet.  Some- 
times the  head  is  the  first  part  to  protrude,  sometimes  a  loop 
of  the  body.  In  the  latter  case,  it  has  to  be  treated  in  the 
same  way,  only  requiring  extra  care  on  account  of  having  two 
segments  to  deal  Avith. 

The  man  who  is  the  subject  of  this  attack  of  the  parasite, 
had  been  free  from  all  symptoms  of  guinea-worm  since  he  left 
the  Mahdi  country — in  the  beginning  of  May  last ;  accord- 
ingly, the  worm  has  taken  all  that  time  to  incubate  and 
mature,  viz.,  seven-and-a-half  months;  as  it  is  almost  certain 
that  he  did  not  get  the  worm  since  he  left  his  own  country  in 
May.  None  of  our  men  have  ever  shown  any  evidence  of  the 
pre'Sence  of  guinea- worm,  although  they  wash  and  wade  in 
every  kind  of  waters,  and  have  done  so  all  through  our  African 
pilgrimage — both  in  the  forest  and  on  the  plain.  On  the  other 
hand,  everybody  in  the  Mahdi  country  seems  to  be  taxed  for 
the  support  of  the  parasite.  Oiir  men  do  not  even  take  the 
precaution  of  drying  themselves  afterwards ;  so  that  I  think  if 
there  was  any  chance  of  anybody  getting  a  stray  guinea-worm 
they  would  have  succeeded  in  securiug  it. 

Every  other  day  a  man  comes  to  me  to  show  a  bit  of  his  nose, 
finger,  or  too  nibbled  off;  or  with  a  deep  hole  burrowed  into  the 
base  of  a  sloughing  ulcer  :  this  is  done  by  the  rats  while  the 
individual  is  asleep. 

We  had  a  steady  downpour  of  rain  this  morning,  which 
lasted  from  4  a.m.  till  10  a.m.  If  not  too  late  already,  it  is 
the  only  chance  of  salvation  for  our  cr(;ps,  which  have  been 
thoroughly  parched  by  the  late  scorching  heat  and  drought  of 
six  or  seven  days. 

I  have  five  earthen  pots  in  my  room,  collecting  the  leakage, 
and  would  require  about  twenty  more,  to  save  the  floor  at  all 
well. 


332  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [18S8. 

Dec.  17.— Nelson  treated  us  to  some  pombe  (banana  wine) 
to-day ;  it  was  really  very  good,  although  made  from  bananas 
which  were  not  at  all  ripe.  This  beverage  is  prepared  by 
cutting  two  or  three  bunches  of  ripe  bananas  into  pieces  of  half 
an  inch  in  length ;  adding  two  gallons  of  water,  and  leaving  it 
to  stand.  On  the  third  day  it  is  a  really  delicious  drink.  At 
first  it  has  a  sweet  tart  taste,  which  after  four  or  five  days 
•becomes  very  acid.  In  a  day  or  two  more,  it  changes  to  a  fluid 
having  qualities  very  like  those  of  vinegar :  quite  as  sour  in 
taste  and  smell.  If  boiled  down  on  the  third  day,  it  makes  a 
good  syrup. 

I  employed  myself  till  noon  to-day,  in  hoeing  up  weeds  in 
the  garden.  We  think  that  the  real  reason  why  Jephson  has 
not  come  with  the  carriers  to  relieve  us  before  now  is,  that 
Emin  is  afraid  to  trust  his  men  with  so  much  of  our  ammuni- 
tion :  they  would  probably,  on  getting  hold  of  it,  decide  to 
remain  where  they  are,  and  utilise  it  to  protect  themselves 
from  hostilities.  All  the  soldiers  are  natives  of  Equatoria,  and 
almost,  if  not  quite  all,  of  the  Egyptians  are  convicts  from 
Egypt ;  so  that  it  is  perfectly  natural  that  they  would  prefer 
to  live  where  they  are — in  coarse  luxury. 

Dec.  18. — There  is  nothing  new  in  these  parts  to-day — except 
a  full  moon.  This  is  the  day  on  which  Mr.  Stanleij  said  that  he 
ivoidd  he  here  on  his  return  from  Yamhuya. 

Dec.  19. — We  are  hoping  that  Mr.  Stanley  may  now  come 
at  any  moment ;  or,  perhaps,  a  detachment  of  the  men  under 
charge  of  an  officer,  to  convey  the  loads  which  are  lying  here,  on 
to  where  he  may  strike  the  path — perhaps  anywhere  between 
this  place  and  the  plain.  It  would  have  been  much  better  and 
pleasanter  if  Jephson  had  only  come  to  us,  as  we  could  then 
have  removed  all  our  things  comfortably  to  the  Albert  Nyanza, 
without  having  this  dismally  long  sojourn  at  Fort  Bodo.  We 
cannot  explain  his  absence,  excepting  that  he  has  been  taken 
prisoner,  for  we  know  his  almost  proverbial  energy,  and  how 
anxious  both  lie  and  Emin  Pasha  were  to  come  and  relieve 
us  at  the  Fort.  The  latter  was  specially  anxious  to  have  the 
opportunity  of  seeing  the  Fort,  and  the  forest,  and  of  adding 
to  his  natural  history  collections  by  the  way. 

The  effects  of  the  great  heat  and  want  of  rain  arc  beginning 
to  manifest  themselves  in  our  corn-crop ;  which  is  turning  its 
colour  from  its  former  beautiful  dark  j>:reen  to  a  li<rhter  tint. 


1888.]  LIFE  AT  FOLT  BODO.  335 

interspersed  -with  streaks  of  almost  pure  wliite — an  infallible 
indication  of  its  failnre, 

A  scouting  party  is  again  out  to-day  after  elephants.  On 
the  whole,  we  get  along  very  well  with  the  men,  and  hut 
rarely  have  we  to  inflict  any  punishments.  Stairs  is  a  splendid 
hand  at  managing  them ;  he  visits  the  sentries  twice  every 
night.  We  have  a  greater  variety  of  food  now,  as  the 
]\[onbuttu  and  our  boys  have  discovered  many  new  kinds  of 
leaves,  bulbs  and  pods ;  which,  if  not  always,  strictly  speak- 
ing, pleasant  to  the  eye,  are,  we  have  found,  tolerably  good 
for  food,  at  least  to  persons  living  under  circumstances  of 
enforced  vegetarianism.  These  we  bruise  up  together  as  an 
mboga,  which  we  find  fairly  enjoyable  as  a  change  from  our 
previously  limited  menu :  we  now  dine  a  la  carte. 


Snt  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.  [1888. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ARRIVAL  OF  THE  REAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO. 

Mr.  Stanley  up  to  tlate  in  his  marches — He  ariives  with  the  rear  column 
— His  careworn  and  ragf^ecl  appearance — The  melancholy  history  of  the 
rear  column — Shocking;  condition  of  the  men  with  ulcers — -A  terrible 
period  of  starvation  experienced  by  them  a  few  miles  from  the  Fort — 
Bonny  is  sent  back  for  some  loads — Nelson,  Stairs  and  myself,  discuss 
the  story  of  the  wreck  of  the  rear  column— After  burying  a  large  glass 
bottle  Nelson  and  Bonny  destroy  the  Fort — Commencement  of  our  third 
march  to  Lake  Albert — Mr.  Stanley  makes  me  a  timely  present  of  some 
blue  serge — Our  Christmas  dinner — Accident  to  my  box  of  clothes  at 
Banalya — Distribution  of  European  provisions  among  the  ofticers—  Loss 
of  Zanzibaris  during  the  forest  march  from  arrow-wounds — Nelson  the 
best  cook  of  the  Expedition — Letters  brought  me  by  Bonny  from 
Yambuya — The  porterage  of  our  tents  and  other  baggage — Mr.  Stanley 
and  I  remodel  our  tents — Two  victims  to  the  horrors  of  starvation — 
Bonny  rather  reserved  about  the  rear  column  business — My  New  Year 
wishes — Review  of  the  past  eventful  year — A  Nubian  wounded  by 
natives — Difficult  task  of  removing  six  iron-headed  arrows  from  his 
body — Some  Zanzibari  characteristics — Our  wounded  Nubian  doing  well 
— Dreadful  smell  from  the  huge  gangrenous  ulcers — Manyuema  women  : 
their  dress  and  extremely  handsome  appearance — Another  instance  of 
"African  affection" — We  camp  at  Mande — Stanley's  Starvation  Camp — 
Arrival  at  Mount  Pisgah — We  halt  at  Kandekore. 

Dec.  20. — At  about  10  a.m.,  I  was  talking  to  a  Zanzibari 
named  Yakouti,  who  was  doing  duty  as  sentry  on  the  top  of 
the  little  eminence  on  the  Albert  Nyauza  Avenue.  In  the 
course  of  our  conversation,  he  volunteered  the  remark  that  Mr. 
Stanley  would  not  arrive  for  two-and-a-half  montlis ;  and,  just 
as  I  was  in  the  act  of  explaining  to  him  that  he  had  so  far 
been  up  to  date  in  his  marches,  and  that  this  had  been 
evidenced  by  his  arrival  at  Zanzibar,  at  the  Congo,  at  the 
Aruwimi,  at  the  Albert  Nyanza  (one  day  too  soon),  and  his 
relief  of  Captain  Nelson  and  myself  at  Ipoto  in  exactly  the 
time  which  he  had  calculated  —  and  was  commencing  to 
point  out  tliat  he  was  now  just  due  at  Fort  Bodo,  I  was 
interrupted  by  the  report  of  shots  fired  at  some  little  distance 
— the  signal  of  Stanlei/s  arrival  with  the  rear  column ! !  !  We 
were    emancipated   from   our   wretched   bondage!     Our   first 


1888.]      ARBIVAL  OF  nEAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO.        335 

•<luty  on  the  occurrence  of  any  alarm  was  to  stand  by  the  Fort 
with  our  rifles  ready ;  so  I  ran  back  hastily  to  the  Fort,  and 
there  found  Mnftah  awaiting  me,  with  my  Winchester  and 
■cartridge-bag  —  he  also  informed  me  that  it  was  "  Bwana 
■Couba "  {i.e.  the  big  master)  who  was  coming.  Stairs  had 
mounted  the  sentry-box  overlooking  the  Manyuema  Avenue, 
and  shouted  that  Stanley  was  coming.  Nelson  came  out  to 
the  entrance  of  the  Fort,  and  all  the  men  began  to  jump 
about  in  a  state  of  ecstacy.  I  ran  down  to  meet  him  ;  and 
grasped  his  hand — _just  on  the  bridge  which  we  had  con- 
structed over  a  small  river  near  the  Fort.  He  had  about  a 
dozen  scouts  marching  in  front :  one  of  these  carried  the 
Egyptian  flag ;  the  others  cut  down  any  obstruction  which 
happened  to  lie  in  their  path.  Mr.  Stanley  looked  careworn 
and  ragged  to  an  extreme  degree — and  I  never  felt  so  forcibly 
as  now,  how  much  this  man  was  sacrificing  in  the  carrying  out 
of  a  terribly  heavy  duty  which  he  had  imposed  upon  himself. 
He  might  very  well  have  been  living  in  luxury  within  the 
pale  of  the  most  advanced  civilisation,  housed  in  some  of  its 
most  sumptuous  mansions,  and  clothed  with  its  choicest  raiment, 
and — here  he  was.  I  had  never  before  so  fully  believed  in 
Stanley's  unflinching  earnestness  of  purpose,  and  unswerving 
sense  of  duty. 

I  asked  him  how  Jameson,  Barttelot  and  Bonny  Avere — I 
had  never  met  Mr.  Troup,  and  had  seen  Mr.  Ward  but  once 
'(the  two  remaining  Europeans,  Mr.  Walker  and  Mr.  Ingram, 
had  finished  their  contract  with  the  Expedition  long  ago). 
He  replied  that  jMr.  Bonny  was  the  only  white  man  who  had 
returned  with  him,  all  the  others  were  gone :  Barttelot  was 
shot  on  the  18th  of  June,  at  Banalya,  by  a  chief,  for  inter- 
fering with  his  wife  who  was  singing  at  5  a.m.  ;  Troup  had 
■  come  up  in  the  steamer  after  we  had  left — got  sick,  and 
Avent  home  again ;  Ward  had  also  arrived  after  we  had  left, 
but  was  sent  down  the  river,  and  not  permitted  to  return ; 
Jameson  had  gone  to  Stanley  Falls  for  carriers,  and  perhaps  on 
to  Bangala  if  necessary  ;  and — of  the  two  hundred  and  sixty 
odd  Zanzibaris,  who  had  been  left  to  bring  on  the  loads  of 
the  rear  column,  considerably  less  than  a  hundred  had  sur- 
vived to  tell  the  melancholy  tale.  Mr.  Stanley  had  with  him 
— 2  Europeans,  Mr.  Bonny,  and  William ;  161  Zanzibaris  (men 
.and  boys);    13  Nubians;    1    Somali,  25  Mahdis;   and  some 


336  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

Manyuema — including  ^^'omen,  wlio  always  accompany  tlieir 
masters. 

Dec.  21. — ^All  the  loids  Avere  brought  into  the  Fort 
yesterday,  but  some  of  the  sick  did  not  arrive  till  to-day. 
Every  one  looked  worn,  thin,  and  exhausted.  The  men  were 
really  in  a  miserable  state  from  debility  and  hunger,  I  never 
saw  so  repulsive  a  sight  as  that  furnished  by  the  unfortunate 
creatures  ;  eaten  up  as  they  are  with  enormous  ulcers.  As  the}'" 
came  dropping  in,  the  stench — emitted  by  the  putrid  flesh  and 
the  dirty  scraps  of  bandages — was  sickening,  and  actually  illled 
the  air  all  around  the  Fort,  as  well  as  witliin  it.  The  great 
majority  of  the  ulcers  were  on  the  lower  extremities — great,, 
gangrenous,  rapidly-sloughing  surfaces  most  of  them — many 
were  up  to  a  foot  in  length,  and  about  half  as  wide,  with  the 
bone  exposed  along  the  whole  length.  Many  had  hopelessly 
destroyed  the  feet :  in  some  cases  the  tarsus,  metatarsus  and 
phalanges  had  all  dropped  out  by  degrees,  and  great  strings  of 
putrid  flesh  were  left  hanging  out  from  the  stump.  This  day 
I  removed  as  much  dead  bone  as  could  conveniently  be  packed 
on  two  soup  plates. 

Mr.  Stanley  had  had  plenty  of  food  for  himself  and  the  men^ 
till  he  reached  near  the  Ituri  river ;  but  from  this  time  they 
had  gone  through  a  terrible  period  of  starvation ;  as  bad  as  at 
any  period  of  the  Expedition.  Many  of  the  men  perished  of 
want.  The  poor  creatures  were  now  supplied  with  plenty  of 
good  Indian  corn  ;  and  they  washed  and  rested  their  weary  and 
worn  limbs  in  camp. 

Bonny  was  sent  back  about  fifteen  miles — towards  the  Ihuru 
river — with  a  party  of  those  men  who  had  been  staying  with 
us  at  the  Fort ;  to  bring  on  some  loads  which  Mr.  Stanley 
had  buried  on  the  way,  as  he  had  been  unable  to  carry 
them. 

Dec.  22. — Rations  were  distributed  to-day  ;  each  man  getting- 
sixty  heads  of  corn.  The  whole  caravan,  as  now  collected  at 
the  Fort,  including  the  party  which  had  stayed  with  us,  numbers 
as  follows: — Zanzibaris,  205 ;  Nubians,  15;  Somalis,  1;  also 
about  300  Manyuema. 

We  all  now  packed  up  our  belongings — preparing  to  start 
for  the  Albert  Nyanza.  I  packed  up  the  medicines  in  twa- 
loads. 

Bonny  returned  with  the  boxes. 


1888.]      ABB  I VAL  OF  BEAB  COL  UMN  A  T  FOB  T  BODO.        337 

In  tlie  evening  we  three  whites  (of  the  Fort)  sat  on  the 
harazan  (seat  for  palaver,  after  Aralb  fashion)  and  discussed 
the  facts  of  the  Expedition.  We  had  been  horrified  by  the 
story  of  the  wreck  of  the  "  Eear  Column,"  which  we  had  left 
in  June  of  last  year,  well  secured  in  a  stockaded  fort  at 
Yambuya.  Out  of  the  five  Europeans  concerned,  but  one  now 
remained  to  tell  the  ghastly  tale  :  two  had  been  sent  down 
river,  one  had  been  shot,  and  the  remaining  one  had  gone 
down  the  Congo  to  Bangala.  About  one-third  only  of  the 
Zanzibaris  survived ;  an  enormous  amount  of  baggage  and  am- 
munition had  been  lost  or  abandoned;  and  the  Europeans 
appeared  to  have  been  completely  at  loggerheads  with  one 
another,  and  on  extremely  bad  terms  with  their  men. 

Dec.  23.— Mr.  Stanley,  Stairs,  and  myself  left  the  Fort 
on  our  way  to  the  Albert  Nyanza.  Nelson  and  Bonny  re- 
mained behind  for  some  hours  with  thirty  men,  to  burn  the 
Fort,  bury  a  large  glass  bottle  or  demijohn  (about  three  feet 
in  height)  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  enclosure,  and  then 
bring  on  some  loads.  The  "  demijohn "  was  buried  about  a 
couple  of  feet  under  ground,  and  contains  a  letter  written  by 
Nelson,  and  a  few  small  things  of  European  manufacture ; 
which  may  teach  the  African  antiquarian  of  a  thousand  years 
hence  that  a  crude  form  of  civilization,  known  as  the  "  English," 
had  penetrated  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  in  the  year  of  grace 
1888. 

We  marched  ten  miles,  and  camped.  The  ground  around 
Fort  Bodo  has  all  been  left  bearing  the  evidences  of  our 
farming  industry,  richly  planted  with  corn,  melons,  brinjals, 
and  peas.     The  latter  we  left  looking  extremely  well. 

Dec.  24. — Mr.  Stanley  marched  on  to  a  camp  five  miles, 
ahead,  accompanied  by  Stairs.  He  sent  back  fifty  men  to 
Nelson  at  the  Fort,  to  carry  on  the  boxes  which  had  been  left 
there.  I  remain  here  with  fifty-two  loads,  and  when  Mr.  Stanley 
gets  to  his  camp  he  is  to  send  back  men  to  me,  and  we  will 
bring  on  these  loads  to  his  camp,  where  we  expect  to  arrive 
at  4  P.M. 

Dec.  25. — A  memj  Christmas! 

Mr.  Stanley  presented  me  v/ith  four  yards  of  blue  serge  to 
make  a  pair  of  trousers — a  timely  gift,  which  was  very  much 
appreciated,  as  the  want  had  long  been  felt.  At  an  earlier 
date  of  the  progress  of  the  Expedition,  we  had  been  allowed 


338  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1888. 

three  carriers ;  one  of  mine  ran  away  with  all  my  clothes.  I 
had,  however,  a  reserve  supply,  which  was  left  at  Yambuya 
in  charge  of  the  rear-column. 

Nelson  and  Bonny  have  now  arrived  with  the  boxes  from 
Fort  Bodo.  Stairs  was  sent  with  a  party  of  men,  to  try  and 
procure  some  food  in  the  shape  of  bananas.  In  the  evening 
a  letter  arrived  from  him,  saying  that  he  would  not  return  till 
to-morrow,  as  the  men  had  scattered  themselves  all  over  the 
banana  plantations,  and  he  could  not  get  them  together ;  also 
through  the  villages,  after  goats,  fowls,  &c.,  &c. :  they  had 
got  out  of  hand,  and  had  lost  some  of  their  discipline,  owing 
to  their  horrible  privations. 

We  arranged  our  Christmas  dinner  of  rice  and  beans,  and  a 
cup  of  coffee,  which  was  given  to  us  by  Bonny.  Sugar  and  a 
little  brandy  were  also  added,  which  we  consumed  with  best 
wishes  to  our  friends  and  relations  at  home.  Our  usual  custom 
now  is  to  dine  separately ;  it  is  much  the  best  way  for  many 
reasons.  In  the  first  place,  we  can  never  all  sit  down  at  once, 
as  duty  always  requires  that  one  or  more  should  be  on  the 
move,  so  that  if  we  wait  till  every  one  is  ready,  the  food  must 
be  cold ;  and,  as  a  rule,  it  consists  simply  of  roast  bananas. 
A  second  reason  is  furnished  by  the  fact  that,  whenever  we 
are  fortunate  enough  to  have  a  piece  of  goat,  some  like  it 
underdone,  and  some  overdone  ;  and  this  discrepancy  of  tastes 
has  not  unfrequently  led  us  to  call  the  mess  president  to 
account. 

We  are  kept  in  a  fog  of  amazement  in  trying  to  investigate 
and  to  understand  the  why  and  the  wherefore  of  the  total 
wreck  of  the  "  Rear  Column."  Bonny  tells  us  that  Barttelot 
was  off  his  head ;  and,  certainly,  from  the  description  he  has 
given  us  of  the  detailed  events  at  Yambuya,  we  are  lost  in 
astonishment  for  a  satisfactory  explanation. 

Dec.  26. — Very  heavy  rain  fell  to-day. 

Each  of  us  left  one  load  of  clothes  at  Yambuya,  to  be 
brought  on  with  the  rear  column ;  but  I  have  been  informed 
by  Bonny  that  my  box  was  broken  open  by  accident  on  the 
march  near  Banalya,  and  a  great  portion  of  the  contents 
thrown  away.  So  that,  unless  I  get  some  more  cotton  or 
other  textile  fabric  from  Emin  Pasha,  I  shall  be  obliged  to 
wear  skins  during  the  remainder  of  the  time  of  my  African 
pilgrimage  ;  latterly,  we  have  all  been  seeing  a  great  deal  too 


1888.]      ABBIVAL  OF  REAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO.        339 

much  of  each  other.  All  my  note-books  are  lost,  and  the 
cartridges  for  my  "  twelve-bore  hammerless  "  were  given  away 
to  the  officers  of  the  steamer  Stanley,  so  that  my  shot-gun 
is  of  no  use  to  me  now.  The  remains  of  my  kit  were  dis- 
tributed amongst  Stairs',  Jephson's,  and  Nelson's  loads  after 
the  disaster  to  my  box.  Half  the  things  were  nearly  quite 
rotten  from  damp ;  fortunately,  my  boots  were  preserved,  and 
have  turned  up  all  right.  Mr.  Stanley  also  distributed  a 
share  of  European  provisions  to  each  of  us :  milk-tins,  3 ; 
butter-tins,  4 ;  brandy,  1  bottle ;  biscuits,  1  tin  (about  a  foot  in 
length,  breadth  and  depth  each  about  six  inches)  ;  beef-tea,  1 
small  pot;  tea,  oh  tins,  measuring  each  about  six  inches 
every  way  ;  sugar,  180  lumps ;  arrowroot,  1  tin,  about  same 
size  as  milk-tin;  sago,  1  tin — open.  These  items  are  to  be 
divided  among  Stanley,  Bonny,  Stairs,  Nelson,  Jephson,  and 
myself.  Amongst  the  extras  left  over  and  above  these  are  : 
■cocoa  and  milk,  of  which  I  received  1  tin  ;  also  some  of  the  salt 
given  us  by  Emin,  of  which  each  share  was  ^  lb. 

Mr.  Stanley  now  allows  iive  men  to  each  of  us  white  officers; 
of  my  five,  two  carry  my  tent  and  poles  (the  tent  is  to  accom- 
modate two  persons) ;  the  other  three  carry  my  clothes,  food, 
cookiiig-j3ots,  &c.  Stairs  has  just  now  arrived  with  a  goat  and 
five  chickens,  so  that  we  are  going  to  have  meat  to-night,  the 
first  time  for  a  period  of  121  days — 17f  weeks,  the  longest 
period  I  have  spent  witliout  meat  since  I  cut  my  eye-teeth. 
The  men  are  now  revelling  in  the  wealth  of  bananas,  which 
abound  here. 

Mr.  Stanley  tells  me  that  he  lost  ten  of  the  Zanzibaris, 
whom  he  had  brought  back  to  Yambuya,  from  arrow-wounds. 
He  also  believes  that  many  similar  cases  were  saved  by  the 
use  of  hypodermic  injections  of  ammonium  carbonate,  the 
properties  of  which  I  had  many  times  tried  for  bites  of 
reptiles,  &c. 

We  have  handed  over  all  the  (ihickens  and  other  meat  to 
Nelson;  as  he  is  the  best  cook,  and  is  invariably  asked  to 
prepare  the  chosen  bits,  such  as  donkeys'  tongues,  &c.,  &c. 
No  member  of  the  Expedition  can  approach  him  in  this 
department !  His  rule  is  a  quarter  of  an  hour  per  pound — for 
either  a  "  roast,"  a  "  boil,"  or  a  stew. 

I  omitted  to  mention  that  Bonny  brought  me  four  letters — 
one  from  home  ;  another  was  a  bill  from  the  British  Medical 

z  2 


340  EXFEEIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.  [1888. 

Association  for  £1  7s,  Qd. — it  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that, 
as  neither  cheqne-book  nor  post-office  are  available  here,  the 
payment  of  this  bill  mnst  be  deferred  till  I  approach  more 
nearly  the  centres  of  civilization;  and  two  others. — [I  received 
no  other  commnnication  from  the  British  Medical  Association 
till  January,  1890,  when  I  was  graciously  invited  by  the 
Council  to  attend  the  annual  meeting  at  Birmingham,  where, 
on  the  31st  of  July  following,  I  was  granted  the  gold  medal 
of  the  Association  "  For  Distinguished  Merit "  in  recognition 
of  my  medical  services  in  connection  with  the  Emin  Pasha 
Belief  Expedition.  The  honour  thus  conferred,  and  the 
cordial  reception  accorded  me  by  the  assembled  members  of 
the  Association,  will  always  form  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
recollections  connected  with  the  results  of  my  African  travel.] 
But  all  this  European  news  is  now  very  old  indeed^ — June 
and  July,  1887. 

Dec.  27. — Stairs  and  Nelson,  accompanied  by  100  of  the 
strongest  of  our  carriers,  went  on  to  the  Ituri  Eiver ;  where 
they  will  leave  the  loads,  with  a  small  party  to  protect  them. 
Mr.  Stanley,  with  Bonny  and  myself,  remain  here  until  they 
return,  which  will  be,  we  expect,  after  an  interval  of  seven  or 
eight  days.  We  will  then  all  march  on  with  the  loads  to  the 
Ituri. 

The  men  got  plenty  of  bananas  yesterday,  and  also  on 
Tuesday  last  (25th).  One  of  the  Manyuema  was  badly 
wounded  by  an  arrow.  Mr.  Stanley  and  myself  have  com- 
menced to  modify  our  tents.  He  has  reduced  his  to  four 
loads.  The  ammunition  is  put  into  his  tent  for  protection 
from  the  rain  at  night.  I  have  cut  mine  down  to  one  load, 
including  poles  and  fly ;  my  ridg'e-pole  is  of  bamboo  cane,  and 
the  two  uprights  are  thin  forked  poles,  which  I  had  cut  in  the 
forest.  We  have  used  many  pieces  of  tent-clotli  in  patching 
our  clothes,  making  bags  for  meal,  &c. ;  and  also  ravelled 
out  some  into  thread  for  sewing.  It  has  not  been  in  the  least 
damaged  by  all  the  dampness,  exposure,  and  hard  usage  of 
the  forest.  The  tent  material  was  supplied  by  Edgington, 
of  London,  and  is  his  own  speciality.  The  canvas  had  been 
soaked  in  a  solution  of  copper  sulphate,  and  was  thereby 
protected  from  rotting.  I  do  not  think  that  it  could  have 
undergone  a  severer  test  of  its  durability  than  that  offered  by 
its  African  existence. 


1889.]      ABRIVAL  OF  BEAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO.        S41 

[I  may  add  here  that  these  tents  remained  thoroughly  good 
and  strong  to  the  end  of  the  Expedition.  They  had  been 
used  every  day,  both  in  the  forest  and  on  the  pLain.  The 
canvas  was  a  light  material  of  a  green  colour;  and  formed 
a  restful  object  for  the  eye  to  turn  to  when  wearied  by  the 
glare  of  the  tropical  sun.] 

Dec.  28. — I  continued  the  cutting  and  sewing  of  my  tent ; 
Mr.  Stanley  is  also  hard  at  work  remodelling  his.  The  only 
great  factor  of  delay  in  this  procedure  is  that  caused  by  the 
want  of  good  needles. 

Dec.  29.^ — Bonny  went  off  to-day,  with  a  party  of  about  forty 
men,  to  fetch  bananas.  Mr.  Stanley  has  cut  out  a  new  coat 
for  me  :  he  is  undoubtedly  the  bettor  tailor,  by  far,  of  the  two. 

In  the  evening,  I  became  conscious  of  the  existence  of  a 
very  bad  smell  about  my  tent.  I  went  sniffing  about  in  the 
bush,  in  the  rear  of  the  tent ;  and  soon  came  upon  two  human 
bodies,  in  an  advanced  stage  of  decomposition.  They  were 
(natives,  who  had  fallen  victims  to  the  horrors  of  starvation. 

Dec.  30. — Bonny  and  party  returned  with  a  substantial 
.suptply  of  bananas. 

Dec.  31. — Bonny  is  rather  reserved,  although  he  tells  us 
how  many  things  that  went  wrong  at  Yambuya  were  done 
against  his  advice,  and  vice  versa.  He  certainly  shows  that  a 
great  spleen  existed  amongst  all  the  officers  who  were  there, 
.although  he  appears  not  to  feel  any  such  himself.  Barttelot 
and  Jameson,  I  think,  were  always  friends.  He  is  the  only 
European  remaining  from  the  wreck  ;  and,  certainly,  he  must 
have  been  placed  in  difficult  positions,  which  he  seems  to  have 
got  out  of  with  credit. 

Jan.  1, 1889. — New  Year's  Day  !  A  happy  New  Year  to  all 
at  home  !  For  my  part,  I  only  add  a  sincere  wish  that  I  may 
never  spend  another  in  this  blessed  country.  I  am  not  at  all 
tired  of  the  Expedition ;  but  I  do  most  thoroughly  detest  this 
going  backwards  and  forwards  in  the  forest,  and  the  sitting 
down  periodically  to  farm  for  some  weeks  or  months  at  a 
time — just  to  get  strong,  and  move  on  again.  I  would  like 
to  be  always  on  the  move,  and  doing  something  more  active ; 
as  it  would  be  so  much  more  healthy,  and  not  so  doleful  and 
•demoralising  as  the  stagnant  life  which  we  have  been  leading. 

I  went  to  hunt  for  food  to-day,  to  a  distance  of  about  six 
miles,  accompanied  by  a  party  of  men  and  women.     We  were 


342  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

attacked  by  the  natives,  and  liad  to  fire  about  fifty  shots  before 
we  succeeded  in  driving  them  away. 

The  last  year  has  been  very  eventful  to  all  of  us.  Of  the 
thirteen  Europeans  who  started  with  the  Expedition,  six  are 
now  here  present,  one  is  with  Emin  Pasha,  one  has  been 
murdered,  four  have  returned  down  the  Congo,  and  one  never 
came  up.  Of  the  two  Syrian  interpreters,  one  is  dead,  and  the 
other  has  been  sent  home. 

"  Of  those,  and  such  like  things  for  shift. 
We  think,  instead  of  New  Year's  gift." 

Jan.  2. — We  marched  a  few  miles  yesterday,  and  slept  in  a 
village  last  night.  I  ate  four  bananas  for  my  Xew  Year's 
dinner ;  and  got  back  to  Mr.  Stanley's  camp,  with  food,  at 
10.30  A.M.  to-day.  Shortly  after  my  arrival,  the  camp  was. 
startled  by  a  loud  shriek  in  the  forest  close  by ;  a  few  men  at 
once  fell  in  with  their  Kemingtons.  My  boy  handed  me  my 
Winchester,  and  I  immediately  accompanied  them  to  the  spot 
from  which  the  alarm  proceeded — a  movement  which  occupied 
but  two  minutes  or  so.  I  there  found  a  Nubian  wounded  in 
six  places  by  iron-headed  arrows  ;  four  of  them  were  impacted 
in  the  bones  of  the  vertebral  column.  As  is  usual  with 
these  men,  he  had  foolishly  gone  a  few  yards  into  the  forest 
away  from  the  precincts  of  the  camp,  and  neglected  the 
precaution  of  bringing  his  rifle  with  him. 

After  much  trouble,  I  succeeded  in  removing  four  of  ih& 
arrows  :  they  had  penetrated  the  bone  deeply,  and  the  iron 
heads  had  been  so  turned  and  twisted  by  the  resistance  offered 
by  the  latter,  as  to  be  hooked  into  its  substance  in  such  a  way 
as  to  give  them  an  extremely  firm  hold.  So  strongly  were 
they  fixed  in  the  bone,  that  1  almost  lifted  him  off  the  ground 
when  removing  each  arrow-head,  a  process  Avhich  I  effected 
with  the  aid  of  our  strong  forceps.  These  arrows  are  so  made 
that  the  shaft  comes  away  from  the  head  on  the  least  pull,  and 
leaves  the  latter  wherever  it  may  bo  attached.  Three  of  the 
arrows  are  barbed,  and  designed  so  ingeniously  to  catch  in 
the  flesh,  that  I  was  obliged  to  use  the  scalpel  freely  in  their 
extraction.  I  also  employed  two  grooved  directors,  which  I 
slipped  over  the  barbs,  so  as  to  prevent  them  catching  in  and 
tearing  the  flesh  as  they  came  away.  Two  of  the  arrow-heads 
still  remain  embedded  in  the  man's  body :  they  had  penetrated 


1880.]      ABRIVAL  OF  BEAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO.       343 

too  deeply  to  be  removed  by  any  justifiable  operation.  One 
was  in  the  thorax,  the  other  in  the  abdomen.  [I  afterwards 
removed  them  and  the  man  recovered  completely.] 

The  natives  are  always  lurking  in  the  bush  around  our 
camps ;  and  a  man  going  out  imprudently  without  his  rifle,  for 
so  necessary  a  purpose  as  that  of  collecting  firewood,  and 
having  no  comrade  on  the  alert,  is  certain  to  be  attacked  by 
these  wretches,  who  are  continually  on  the  look-out  for  a 
victim. 

Jan.  3. — Bonny  went  off  to-day  with  a  party,  to  search  for 
bananas.  Our  Zanzibaris  and  Manyuema  contingent,  as  usual, 
are  very  unsanitary  in  their  habits,  and  will  not  be  improved 
in  this  particular,  say  what  we  will  to  them ;  the  result  is, 
that  our  camp  is  already  getting  into  a  very  foul  condition. 

About  fifty-seven  men  returned  to-day — from  Stairs'  camp — 
to  help  us  on  with  the  loads.  They  brought  us  two  goats ; 
the  first  good  specimens  of  this  animal  I  have  seen  for  a  long 
interval. 

Jan.  4. — On  Benny's  arrival  we  all  left  the  camp ;  and 
marched  on  for  about  five  miles. 

The  wounded  Nubian  is  able  to  walk,  and  is  actually  doing 
well,  I  forgot  to  mention  that  when  I  found  him,  imme- 
diately after  being  hit  with  the  arrows,  I  gave  him,  with  as 
little  delay  as  possible,  a  hypodermic  injection,  consisting  of  a 
watery  solution  of  10  grains  of  ammonium  carbonate,  as  it  is 
a  favourite  treatment  in  cases  of  snake-bite,  and  Mr.  Stanley 
and  Bonny  speak  well  of  it  as  a  remedy  in  cases  of  poisoned 
arrow-wounds. 

Jan.  5. — We  marched  about  eleven  miles  to-day.  Kibbo-bora, 
the  second  Manyuema  chief,  remained  behind  with  his  brother, 
who  was  very  sick  :  there  were  three  invalid  Zanzibaris  with 
him,  and  five  loads  are  under  his  charge.  They  had  moved 
out  of  camp  ;  but  evaded  the  rear-guard  by  creeping  into  the 
bush,  and  returning  to  the  camp.  A  sick  Zanzibari  takes  no 
trouble  about  himself;  in  fact,  he  does  not  want  to  recover. 
This  seems  strange,  but  it  is  no  less  true.  This  indifference 
to  their  own  welfare  is  very  annoying,  and  is  very  characteristic 
of  the  Zanzibaris. 

Jan.  6. — We  marched  about  eight  miles  to-day,  and  reached 
an  old  camp,  where  we  found  plenty  of  bananas.  I  was  on  rear- 
guard, so  was  late  in  getting  into  camp,  as  I  had  been  delayed 


344  EXPERIENQES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

by  the  sick  :  one  of  whom  I  was  obliged  to  have  carried.  The 
smell  of  the  huge  gangrenous  ulcers  is  something  dreadful : 
especially  for  those  on  rear-guard  ;  it  actually  lingers  in  the 
forest,  long  behind  the  march,  so  that  one  can  track  an  ulcer 
here  through  the  bush,  as  in  a  drag-hunt  at  home.  I  should 
not  be  surprised  if  the  smell  caused  a  plague  to  break  out 
among  us.  I  often  wonder  how  the  wretched  beings  can  move 
along  with  masses  of  dead  bone  protruding  from  their  huge 
sores  :  it  is  a  mystery  to  me  that  numbers  of  them  do  not 
commit  suicide,  for  they  can  always  procure  a  rifle  and  a 
bullet  from  one  of  their  comrades. 

Mr.  Stanley  held  a  shauri  to-day  :  it  was  decided  to  send 
back  Bonny  to  pick  up  the  five  loads  which  Kib bo-bora  left 
'behind,  when  he  evaded  us  to  stay  with  his  dying  brother. 

Jan.  7. — Among  the  Manyuema  contingent  are  very  many 
women,  who  carry  loads  as  heavy  as  those  of  the  men,  and  do 
it  quite  as  well.  Several  of  them  are  extremely  handsome, 
especially  Mrs.  Kibbo-bora  No.  1.  They  are  of  light-brown 
colour,  with  small  hands  and  feet,  pretty  brown  eyes,  long  eye- 
brows and  eyelashes,  thin  nose  and  thin  lips,  small  ears,  short 
■curly  hair,  and  high  forehead.  They  walk  very  upright ;  the 
general  contour  of  their  figures  is  very  fine,  and  their  move- 
ments are  graceful.  They  are  of  a  very  cheery  and  good- 
natured  disposition,  and  are  quite  superior  to  the  males  of  the 
tribe.  Their  dress  is  now  reduced  to  a  fringe  or  veil  suspended 
from  the  waist :  some  of  them  use  a  handkerchief,  which  is 
worn  around  the  head — twisted  into  a  circular  coil,  and  used 
to  prevent  the  load  from  pressing  directly  on  the  vertex.  A 
few  have  a  handkerchief  or  two  thrown  over  their  shoulders, 
others  do  not  dress  so  extravagantly ;  invariably  a  belt  of  some 
sort  is  worn — sometimes  a  vine  or  rope  tied  behind  in  a 
primitive  bow — others  are  as  nude  and  as  well-proportioned  as 
their  white  sisters  who  are  artistically  represented  on  the  w^alls 
of  the  Eoyal  Academy. 

Our  carriers  never  allow  a  load  to  touch  the  head  directly. 
They  make  a  small  circular  pad  (with  a  hole  in  the  centre), 
prepared  from  bark-cloth  or  grass;  this  they  judiciously  place 
between  the  top  of  the  head  and  the  box. 

We  marched  early.  As  I  was  on  rear-guard  again,  I  was 
obliged  to  proceed  very  slowly,  for  the  rear  of  the  column  has 
just  enough  life  to  move,  but  by  no  means  sufficient  energy  to 


PIGMY    DAMSEL    CllANi;iN(;    HEU    I'KESt!. 


1889.]      ARRIVAL  OF  REAR  COLUMN  AT  FORT  BODO.        345 

push  on.  It  was  late  in  the  day  when  I  reached  Mr.  Stanley's 
luncheon  place,  so  I  camped  there  for  the  night.  Bonny  soon 
came  up  with  Kibbo-bora  and  party ;  they  marched  on  to 
overtake  Mr.  Stanley.  Kibbo-bora  told  me  that  he  had  left 
his  brother  on  the  road  to  die  ;  although  he  might  have  carried 
him.  Such  is  African  affection !  I  sent  out  a  few  men,  who 
brought  in  plenty  of  bananas ;  some  on  the  trees  are  now  ripe. 

I  feel  quite  sick,  as  the  stench  from  the  sick  and  ulcerated 
Zanzibaris  is  absolutely  pestilential.  They  have  to  be  driven 
in  the  evening  to  wash ;  and  at  night  we  are  all  obliged  to 
sleep  in  a  narrow  enclosure,  surrounded  by  a  boma  for  pro- 
tection against  the  natives  and  wild  beasts.  The  result  is 
that  we  are  all  thoroughly  saturated  with  the  emanations 
from  the  sloughing  sores. 

Jan.  8. — I  marched  early,  and,  at  luncheon-time,  reached 
Mr.  Stanley's  camp  at  Mande.  I  found  that,  on  halting  for 
the  day,  he  had  sent  on  twenty  men  with  loads  to  Stairs  and 
Nelson,  getting  back  twenty  empty-handed  men  in  return  : 
these  he  sent  back  next  day  to  pick  up  our  helpless  invalids 
who  had  been  left  on  the  road. 

He  told  me  that  when  the  men  had  remained  away  eight 
days  collecting  food,  during  his  stay  at  that  awful  Starvation 
Camp  near  the  Ituri  (before  reaching  Fort  Bodo  on  his  return 
from  Yambuya) — he  followed  them,  bringing  his  revolver  and 
a  full  dose  of  poison,  to  destroy  himself  with,  in  case  he  could 
not  find  them.  He  had  never  been  in  such  a  state  of  despair 
on  any  African  expedition. 

Jan.  9. — We  marched  early  to-day,  and  reached  Stairs' 
camp,  which  was  situated  close  to  the  Ituri,  at  the  bottom  of 
Mande,  from  which  we  first  saw  the  long  wished  for  plain. 
One  peak  of  this  hill  has  been  baptised  "  Mount  Pisgah  "  by  Mr. 
Stanley,  because  it  was  from  it  that  he  got  the  first  glimpse  of  the 
"  promised  land."  We  crossed  the  river  in  canoes,  which  had 
been  seized  by  Stairs ;  and  camped  in  an  open  spot,  situated  at 
the  top  of  a  hill,  and  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river.  There 
is  no  water  nearer  than  the  river,  which  is  the  only  drawback 
to  our  otherwise  desirable  position.  Most  of  the  sick  are  to 
be  left  here.     The  place  is  called  "  Kandekore." 


346  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOEIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 


CHAPTEK  XIX. 

OUR   SICK   CAMP   AT   KANDEKOKE. 

We  form  a  "  Convalescent  Home  "  for  the  sick  at  Kandekore  on  the  borders 
of  the  plain — Mr.  Stanley  lectures  Stairs  and  myself  about  the  men's 
condition — Commencement  of  the  third  march  to  Lake  Albert— The 
surroundings  of  our  hospital — We  build  new  huts — The  Zanzibaris 
recognize  the  value  of  proper  medical  treatment — The  invalids  come  to  me 
for  their  medicine — Failure  of  Uledi  to  find  the  sick  who  had  been  left 
on  the  rond — Completion  of  our  huts — Effect  of  recurring  nocturnal  chilis 
— We  kill  some  goats  for  the  invalids'  benefit — Satisfactory  progress  of 
the  sick — Native  forms  of  treating  ulcers  employed  by  our  Zanzitsaris — 
A  primitive  form  of  massage  used  for  acliing  limbs — Scarification  em- 
ployed for  headache  and  synovitis — Demoralising  effect  of  sickness  on 
the  men — An  attack  of  bilious  remittent  fever  prevents  my  attention  to 
professional  duties — Spread  of  disease  caused  by  flies — 'Death  of 
Mohammed  Dean  from  rapid  gangrene  of  the  foot — Another  instance  of 
Zanzibar!  "  truthfulness  " — I  recover  from  my  fever  attack — The  last  of 
my  chloroform — Theft  of  goats  by  a  Zanzibar!  boy — Some  cases  of 
gastro-intestinal  catarrh,  the  result  of  prolonged  exposure  to  all  weathers 
— My  African  experience  of  this  latter  complaint,  also  of  cholera  in  the 
Egyptian  Soudan — Burroughs  &  Wellcome's  tabloids,  a  convenient 
medicine— The  tabloid  system  sliould  be  adopted  on  service  abroad  and 
at  home  by  the  Army  Medical  Staff — A  death  from  dysentery — Mortality 
at  our  camp  since  Mr.  Stanley's  departure. 

Jan.  10.^ — ^All  the  men  were  fallen  in  to-day  and  inspected. 
Men  who  were  declared  "  unfit "  are  to  be  left  here,  so  that 
this  is  to  form  a  sort  of  "  Convalescent  Home."  Most  of  them 
are  incapacitated  by  ulcers.  Eighty-seven  Zanzibaris,  nine 
Soudanese,  twenty  Manyuema,  and  twenty  Mahdi  men  have 
been  told  off  to  remain ;  besides  Stairs,  myself,  and  Nelson, 
(who  has  a  bad  ulcer,  and  is  unable  to  march,  although  he  is 
anxious  to  go  on).  I  told  Mv.  Stanley  that  he  would  break 
down  if  allowed  to  proceed,  and  he  has  acted  on  my  suggestion. 
I  am  always  left  at  the  standing  camps  to  look  after  the  sick ; 
although  I  am  thoroughly  "  fit,"  and  have  never  been  carried 
since  the  start. 

Mr,  Stanley  called  Stairs  tmd  myself  into  his  tent  last 
night,  and  gave  us  a  long  lecture — he  frequently  lectures  us 
— telling  us  of   the    great  iuiportancc  of   looking  well  after 


1889.]  OUR    SICK   CAMP  AT  EANDEKORE.  347 

the  men,  and.  getting  them  into  health  and  good  condition. 
During  the  discourse  he  told  us  that  "  the  path  of  duty  is 
the  way  to  glory,"  and  that  "  there  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of 
men  which  taken  at  the  flood  leads  on  to  fortune."  He  also 
mentioned  that  there  was  an  officer  with  him  on  the  Expedi- 
tion who  had  this  opportunity,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.  We  did  not  know- 
to  whom  he  referred,  but  drew  our  own  conclusions.  He  went 
on  to  say  that  we  are  not  going  to  bring  Emin  Pasha  away ; 
our  object  will  be  to  give  him  ammunition  as  relief;  that  as 
we  have  so  few  men  left  we  can  barely  drive  through  to  Zan- 
zibar by  ourselves,  without  taking  up  the  additional  trouble 
and  responsibility  of  looking  after  Emin  and  his  people.  We 
have  but  219  Zanzibaris  living  now,  and  a  very  large  proportion 
of  this  number  are  utterly  "  unfit." 

Jan.  11. — Mr.  Stanley  is  again  off  for  the  Albert  Nyanza 
to-day,  accompanied  by  Bonny,  and  the  more  vigorous  of  the 
Zanzibaris,  Nubians,  and  Manyuema.  This  is  the  third  time 
our  leader  has  gone  to  the  lake  for  Emin  Pasha.  It  is  six 
good  marches  off;  but  he  will  take  a  longer  time  than  this,  as 
he  goes  slowly,  and  will  make  enquiries  at  Mazamboni's,  and 
at  Kavalli's,  about  Emin  and  Jephson.  He  will  travel  very 
cautiously  :  he  has  twenty-one  men,  and  eleven  chiefs,  employed 
as  scouts ;  and  who,  accordingly, .  do  not  carry  loads.  AVe 
do  not  know  what  to  think  of  the  Pasha  and  Jephson ;  the 
former  must  have  comj)letely  lost  control  over  his  men,  other- 
"wise  he  would  have  met  us  with  his  steamers  at  the  south  end 
of  the  Lake,  when  ]\Ir.  Stanley  got  there  in  December,  1887 — - 
arriving  one  day  before  his  appointed  time.  His  first  battalion 
has  been  in  a  state  of  mutiny  for  years,  and  the  men  have  made 
many  attempts  to  make  him  a  prisoner.  When  we  were  at  the 
Lake  (April  and  May  last)  we  saw  quite  enough  to  indicate 
how  things  stood,  in  the  way  in  which  he  implored  his  officers, 
to  convince  us  of  his  want  of  control. 

Our  camp  here  is  really  a  large  hospital ;  Stairs  is  in  com- 
mand of  the  Camp.  Almost  every  man  here  is  under  treat- 
ment ;  some  of  the  worst  cases  have  to  be  fed  as  they  lie  on 
their  backs,  for  they  are  too  weak  to  sit  up.  They  are  reduced 
to  integument  and  bone,  by  prolonged  starvation — a  very 
sickening  sight !  I  have  observed  among  these  cases  of  pro- 
gressive inanition,  that  so  long  as  the  gluteal  region  retains 
its  rotundity  there  is  no  danger ;  but  it  is  remarkable — indeed, 


348  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

absolutely  diagnostic — tliat,  as  soon  as  it  begins  to  flatten,  the 
individual  at  once  breaks  down. 

This  is  the  site  of  an  old  village  ;  we  found  an  enormous 
quantity  of  tobacco — prepared,  and  ready  to  be  smoked.  We 
must  fortify  the  place,  as  we  are  sure  to  be  obliged  to  remain 
for  at  least  a  month.  There  are  plenty  of  bananas  about ;  and, 
perhaps,  an  occasional  goat  or  chicken.  I  feel  it  is  very  rough 
being  obliged  to  remain  here,  just  in  sight  of  the  plain,  and 
tied  up  to  so  large  a  number  of  helpless  individuals,  who  are 
entirely  unable  to  go  about.  Xelson,  poor  chap,  is  unable  to 
march  at  present. 

Stairs  has  the  men  collecting  wood,  &c.,  for  the  construction 
of  their  huts.  We  are  at  present  living  in  tents,  but  will  get 
into  huts  later  on,  when  the  men  have  all  been  made  com- 
fortable. The  men's  huts  are  to  be  arranged  so  as  to  surround 
a  square.  Each  has  a  boarded  back,  of  about  five  feet  in 
height,  placed  as  a  protection  against  arrows  in  case  of  an 
attack  by  the  natives.  The  roof  slopes  to  the  front  so  that  the 
door  is  very  low. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  how  the  Zanzibaris  have  been 
educated  by  experience  to  recognise  the  value  of  proper 
medical  treatment.  When  we  started  on  this  expedition,  the 
men  all  used  their  own  medicinal  remedies,  which  they 
prepared  from  leaves,  &c. ;  but  now  not  one  of  them  thinks 
of  using  such  preparations,  although  they  stuck  to  them 
tenaciously  enough  for  a  year  or  so.  Everyone — who  is  able 
to  walk — comes  regularly,  morning  and  evening,  at  the  ap- 
pointed hour,  to  receive  professional  attention.  My  chief — 
a  fine,  tall,  dark  Zanzibari  named  Hari — comes  out  of  his 
hut,  morning  and  evening,  at  the  stated  time,  pulls  up  his 
scanty  shirt,  and,  while  scratching  his  abdomen,  calls  out, 
"  Bowr,  dowr,  dowr" :  this  brings  up  all  invalids  for  their 
medicine,  Ac.  As  a  little  colouring  matter  goes  a  very  long 
way  in  improving  the  ai)pearance  of  a  solution,  I  often 
employ  mixtures  of  red,  green,  black,  or  other  colour,  for 
their  medicines.  I  have  found  that  a  watery  solution  of 
potassium  permanganate,  which  gives  a  beautiful  purple,  has 
held  its  own  as  the  greatest  popular  favourite.  This  is 
peculiarly  fortunate,  as  it  is  one  of  the  l)est  antiseptic  and 
deodorising  preparations  I  have. 

It  is  somewhat  comical  to  watch  the  men  as  they  come  out 


1889.]  OUR   SICK  CAMP  AT  EANDEKORE.  349 

of  their  huts  in  the  early  morning  ;  everyone,  without  except- 
tion,  is  employed  in  scratching  his  body.  If  counter-irri- 
tation applied  to  the  cutaneous  •  surface  were  an  efficient 
remedy  against  internal  disease,  the  members  of  the  E.  P.  K. 
Expedition  should  be  among  the  healthiest  men  alive. 

Jan.  12. — We  had  a  goat  killed  for  the  sick,  last  night,  and 
gave  it  all  to  the  poor  creatures,  although  the  officers  want  a 
taste  of  meat  very  badly  indeed.  We  had  soup  prepared,  and 
gave  all  the  worst  cases  soup  and  meat  last  night,  and 
repeated  the  same  twice  to-day.  Some  of  these  men  are  sure 
to  die  very  soon. 

Uledi,  who  was  sent  back  with  a  party  of  men  to  bring  up 
the  sick  who  had  been  left  on  the  road,  returned  on  Thursday 
(10th  inst.),  saying  that  he  had  failed  to  find  any.  I  believe 
that  he  never  went  further  than  the  last  camp.  However 
if  his  story  is  true,  the  four  Zanzibaris  and  eight  Manyuema 
must  have  been  killed  by  the  natives.  This  is,  however,  quite 
probable  too,  as  I  saw  some  wild  natives  hanging  about  our 
line  of  march,  and  evidently  very  willing  to  attack  us  if  they 
saw  a  fair  opportunity. 

Jan.  13. — Mr.  Stanley  is  to  arrive  at  Mazamboni's  to-day. 
when  he  will  probably  hear  the  first  authentic  news  of  Emin 
Pasha's  movements.  Our  convalescent  camp  here  is  by  degrees 
getting  more  into  ship-shape.  All  the  men's  huts  have  been 
finished ;  the  boma  is  also  completed,  and,  on  to-morrow,  the 
officers'  houses  will  be  commenced.  The  construction,  of 
course,  has  been  rather  hasty ;  a  house,  in  which  some  of  the 
invalids  were  sleeping,  voluntarily  descended  to  the  ground 
this  morning ;  and  if  Stairs  had  not  been  so  meritoriously 
prompt  in  removing  the  three  disabled  men  who  were  inside, 
they  would  all  have  been  smothered  in  the  debris. 

We  sent  a  party  for  Indian  corn  to-day,  so  that  we  may 
provide  meal  for  the  sick.  I  suspected  that  my  heart  had  by 
this  time  become  as  hard  as  a  stone  :  yet  I  displayed  some 
symptoms  of  softness  to-day,  for  I  distributed  part  of  my 
small  stock  of  European  provisions  (butter,  milk,  salt  and 
rice)  to  my  poor  emaciated  patients. 

It  is  very  hot  here  in  the  middle  of  the  day,  but  the  nights 
are  sometimes  extremely  cold.  These  recurring  nocturnal 
chills  are  always  supplying  me  with  a  number  of  cases  of 
gastro-intestinal  catarrh,  which,  after  the  ulcers,  have  proved 


350  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOEIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

the  most  formidable    pathological  product  of  the  E.  P.  E. 
Expedition. 

Jan.  14. — We  had  another  small  goat  killed  to-day,  and 
gave  it  to  the  sick.  Both  Stairs  and  Nelson,  as  well  as 
myself,  fully  recognise  the  importance  of  keeping  these  poor 
men  alive,  and  getting  them  into  working  condition,  as  we 
have  barely  enough  men  on  the  Expedition  now  to  drive 
through  to  Zanzibar.  We  can  never  face  that  forest  again  ! 
By  mixing  a  few  cups  of  Indian  meal  with  the  water  in  which 
the  goat  was  stewed,  it  helps  to  make  the  sick  man's  meal 
more  substantial  still.  Eour  of  the  largest  goats  would  not 
supply  the  sick  with  more  than  one  good  meal  each. 

Stairs  is  very  busy  with  our  enclosure,  and  has  almost 
completed  two  watch-towers.  Nelson  is  still  on  his  back — 
— his  feet  are  swollen  with  oedematous  infiltration.  The  ulcers 
of  the  Zanzibaris  are  doing  fairly  well,  in  spite  of  the  incor- 
rigibly filthy  habits  of  these  men.  They  are,  of  course,  very 
feeble ;  and  unable  to  get  often  to  the  river,  for  the  frequent 
washings  which  they  so  much  require :  the  Manyuema  are 
much  dirtier  still  than  the  Zanzibaris.  The  intense  and 
sickening  stench  which  radiated  from  each  of  these  large  foul 
ulcers  is  diminishing  a  good  deal — with  the  frequent  use  of 
carbolic  acid,  permanganate  of  potassium,  and  nitrate  of  silver, 
also  the  general  cleanliness  which  our  state  of  rest  here  allows 
me  to  enforce.  I  have  applied  pure  carbolic  acid  to  each  of 
the  gangrenous  surfaces  with  very  good  effect. 

Among  the  native  forms  of  treatment  which  the  Zanzibaris 
employ  for  their  ulcers,  is  one  of  rubbing  a  copper  ring  on  a 
stone  till  a  layer  of  metallic  dust  has  been  filed  off ;  this  is  in 
turn  rubbed  off  the  stone  by  the  aj^plication  of  a  wet  rag,  by 
means  of  which  it  is  then  applied  to  the  surface  of  the  ulcer.  It 
certainly  does  some  good  ;  it  acts  as  a  mild  caustic,  and  brings  , 
down  the  unhealthy  granulations ;  but  the  worst  of  their 
application  of  this  remedy  is  that  they  don't  know  when  to 
stop ;  but  go  on  rubbing  and  burning  the  surface,  till  a  deep 
depression  is  formed.  Their  ftivourite  application  to  small 
ulcers,  however,  is  a  paste  whicli  they  make  of  certain  leaves  : 
when  crushed  and  thoroughly  mashed  up,  they  plaster  the 
pulp  on  the  raw  surface,  and  allow  it  to  dry.  It  sticks  pretty 
firmly,  and  forms  a  protective  shield;  which  prevents  the 
sare  from  being  hurt  from  without — by  the  striking  of  twigs 


1889.]  OUE   SICK  CAMP  AT  KANDEKOnK  351 

and  grasses,  and  other  such  things  with  which  they  come  in 
contact.  It  becomes  really  very  hard,  and  gives  a  good  deal 
of  mechanical  protection  ;  but  does  harm  in  the  end — by  con- 
lining  the  products  of  ulceration,  and  preventing  its  escape. 
When  they  complain  of  rheumatic  pains,  as  they  pretty  often 
do,  they  lie  down  flat  on  the  ground,  and  get  their  comrades 
to  tramp  on  their  bodies,  bruising  it  in  all  directions  with  their 
feet.  When  their  limbs  ache,  they  use  a  primitive  form  of 
massage  by  kneading  and  pressure  ;  but  as  they  do  not  know  the 
position  of  the  various  anatomical  structures,  there  is  usually 
a  good  deal  of  mechanical  energy  wasted  without  much  benefit. 
Whenever  they  suffer  from  headache  or  any  local  inflammatory 
action  in  any  part  of  the  body  {e.g.,  synovitis)  they  cup  each 
other  for  it,  using  a  primitive  form  of  the  scarification  which 
is  sometimes  employed  for  local  depletion  on  our  European 
continent.  They  use,  for  this  purpose,  a  small  horn ;  with  a 
narrow  opening  at  the  tapering  end.  Around  the  latter  they 
arrange  an  indiarubber  material  which  they  collect  from  one 
of  the  forest  creepers.  They  place  the  large  (open)  end  of  the 
horn  on  the  painful  spot,  exhaust  the  air  by  suction  through  the 
narrow  opening  in  the  other  end,  and  then  close  the  latter — by 
biting  the  indiarubber  with  their  teeth.  After  this  "  dry  cup  " 
has  been  left  on  for  a  minute  or  two,  so  as  to  cause  marked 
cutaneous  congestion,  it  is  removed,  and  a  number  of  small 
incisions  (half  a  dozen  or  so)  are  made  through  the  skin.  The 
horn  is  then  again  applied,  suction  is  used,  and  it  is  soon  filled 
with  blood.  This  "  wet  cup  "  may  be  used  again,  so  that  they 
deplete  as  fully  as  they  wish. 

Jan.  15. — Stairs  has  nearly  finished  the  watch-towers. 
There  is  a  marked  improvement  in  the  progress  of  most  of  the 
men ;  but  they  are  even  greater  liars  than  before  they  became 
reduced  to  this  broken-down  state.  Sickness  has  a  very  de- 
moralising effect  upon  them ;  they  put  forward  their  illness  as 
a  sufficient  excuse  for  everything  that  they  do  wrong,  and  for 
all  their  vile  habits  ;  they  become  quite  helpless,  as  they  will 
do  nothing  for  themselves,  even  when  not  quite  disabled  by 
weakness ;  and  are  continually  whining  for  sympathy  and 
attention.  When  a  Zanzibari  has  been  sick  for  a  long  time 
he  invariably  develops,  exactly  like  his  white  brother  in 
Europe,  into  a  goee-goee,  which  means  a  good-for-nothing 
grumbler. 


352  EXPEEIENCES   IN  EQUATOEIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

Jan.  16. — I  haye  teen  feeling  seedy  all  clay,  and  fear  that 
fever  is  coming  on.  I  have  also  been  feeling  very  chatty, 
which  is  an  invariable  premonitory  symptom  of  fever.  Three 
of  our  watch-towers  are  now  finished. 

Jan.  17. — A  small  goat  was  killed  to-day.  Half  of  its  meat 
will  be  given  to  our  sick  blacks  in  the  form  of  soup ;  the  other 
half  goes  to  us  four  whites. 

I  never  spent  such  a  time  as  last  night.  I  had  a  burning 
fever,  and  did  not  sleep  half  an  hour;  the  pain  in  my  lumbar 
region  (small  of  the  back)  was  most  excruciating,  as  it  always 
is  during  these  attacks  of  fever. 

About  thirty-five  men  were  supplied  with  meat  and  soup 
to-day.  The  inner  square  of  the  fort  was  cleared,  and  the 
refuse  thrown  out.  The  enormous  number  of  ulcers,  attract 
great  swarms  of  flies,  which  undoubtedly  carry  the  necrobiotic 
poison  about  with  them,  and  convey  it  to  the  previously 
unaffected.  These  detestable  winged  messengers  of  evil  have 
a  most  objectionable  ijencliant  for  alighting  on  one's  face,  after 
returning  from  the  surface  of  a  gangrenous  sore;  and  also 
of  trying  to  get  themselves  swallowed  with  every  alternate 
morsel  of  our  food.  We  have  very  few  bandages  for  use,  so 
that  we  employ  such  material  as  bits  of  old  flannel,  of  shirts, 
remnants  of  cloth  of  all  kinds,  bits  of  rag,  pieces  of  bark- 
cloth,  &c.,  &c. 

Jan.  18. — I  saw  some  of  the  sick  this  morning,  but  was 
too  ill  to  complete  my  task  ;  so  the  rest  were  treated  by 
Nelson  and  Stairs,  who  are  now  specialists  in  the  treatment  of 
African  ulcers.  I  was  obliged  to  go  immediately  and  lie  dow  n 
in  my  tent ;  which  is  a  very  small  one,  and  situated  directly 
under  the  scorching  sun.  I  felt  wretched,  aching  all  over, 
and  in  a  very  bad  temper  ;  I  was  like  a  hen  on  a  hot  gridiron. 
It  appeared  to  be  a  tie  in  the  competition  to  burn  me  out — 
between  the  roasting  sun  without,  and  my  own  consuming- 
fever  within. 

Nelson  saw  the  sick  for  mo  in  the  evening,  as  I  was  entirely 
unfit  to  come  out  of  my  den. 

Jan.  19. — The  men  got  "rousa"  (a  holiday)  to-day,  as 
they  have  all  had  to  work  pretty  hard  since  they  came  here, 
in  the  making  of  their  huts,  &c.  I  changed  to  a  hut  that  was 
just  finished,  as  it  was  somewhat  cooler,  and  much  more  roomy 
than   my  tent.     These   huts   are   really  beautiful  to   lie  in. 


1888.]  OUR    SICK  CAMP  AT  KANDEKOBE.  353 

They  are  constructed  of  beautifully  green  boughs,  and  creepers, 
and  leaves,  which  hang  about  in  careless  profusion.  The  bed 
has  been  formed  of  leaves,  grasses,  and  tops  of  bushes,  and 
surpasses  any  spring-bed  in  luxury.  My  feverish  symptoms 
are  now  much  aggravated  ;  my  body  feels  as  if  broken  across, 
and  every  limb  aches.  The  most  intense  pain  is  concentrated 
iji  the  lower  part  of  my  back;  my  temperature  is  104°  F. 
Nothing  gives  relief  except  morphine.  Small  dark  ecchymotic 
patches  (petechiaj)  have  appeared  on  the  skin  of  the  trunk  ; 
there  is  great  tenderness  over  the  stomach  and  liver.  Black 
clotted  blood  comes  from  the  nose  and  other  passages ;  the 
tongue  is  thickly  coated  with  a  dark  brown  fur.  After  seeing 
the  sick  in  the  morning,  I  went  to  bed,  feeling  that  the  man 
who  would  kill  me  quickest  was  my  best  friend. 

Mohammed  Dean,  a  Nubian,  died  to-day.  He  had  suffered 
from  rapid  gangrene  of  the  foot.  Bones,  ligaments,  muscles, 
blood-vessels  and  all  were  rapidly  destroyed — to  a  level  a  little 
above  the  ankle.  It  would  have  been  useless — even  mischievous 
— to  operate ;  the  sloughing  process  would  have  extended  to 
the  stump.  This  has  occurred  in  similar  cases  in  which  I  was 
induced  to  amputate.  Fortunately,  the  unhappy  victims  of 
these  rapidly  destructive  ulcers  do  not  suffer  much  pain  from 
i;hem.  The  only  variety  which  I  have  seen  give  much  trouble 
in  that  way  are  those  which  form  over  the  malleoli  (prominence 
of  either  ankle).  In  this  position  they  grow  more  slowly,  they 
are  more  regular  in  outline,  and  cause  a  good  deal  of  pain ; 
especially  as  they  are  greatly  exposed  in  this  position  to 
being  rubbed  by  twigs,  grass,  leaves,  &c.,  while  the  poor 
patient  is  on  the  march. 

A  "  ruga-ruga  "  party  was  sent  off  to-day  for  food.  Nelson 
saw  the  sick  for  me  both  last  night  and  this  morning.  I  take 
.something  like  100  grains  of  quinine  in  the  morning ;  my 
temperature  then  keeps  below  102°  F.  in  the  afternoon.  At 
3  P.M.  I  had  an  attack  of  excruciating  pain  over  the  hypo- 
gastric region.  I  have  hot  stupes  applied  from  time  to  time 
by  means  of  an  old  flannel  shirt,  lent  me  by  Stairs,  or  by 
Nelson.  I  also  get  hypodermic  injections  of  morphia,  which 
send  me  off  to  sleep. 

Two  of  the  sick  who  had  remained  on  the  road  arrived  here 
to-day.  This  goes  to  prove  that  Uledi  and  party  had  never 
returned  all  the  way  for  them,  although  he  had  been  sent  by 

2  A 


354  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.         [1889. 

Mr.  Stanley  with  orders  to  do  so,  and  had  told  us  on  coming 
back  that  he  had  gone  the  whole  way.  (Another  characteristic 
instance  of  Zanzibari  truthfulness  and  affection !)  These  poor 
men,  in  crossing  the  Ituri  river,  got  into  a  canoe  which  drifted 
them  down  the  stream  for  half  a  mile  towards  a  cataract,  so 
that  they  had  an  extremely  narrow  escape  with  their  lives, 
as  they  were  too  weak  to  paddle,  and,  of  course,  too  weak  to 
swim. 

Jan.  21. — The  "  ruga-ruga  "  party  returned  to-day — with 
some  dried  meat,  two  goats,  three  chickens,  and  plenty  of  good 
plantains.  I  am  somewhat  better  to-day.  I  took  100  grains 
of  quinine  this  morning,  and  drank  a  bottle  of  Warburg's 
tincture  last  night,  so  that  I  gave  myself  a  very  fair  chance 
of  having  any  malarial  poison  floating  in  my  tissues  and  cir- 
culation thoroughly  neutralised,  if  within  the  power  of  specific 
medicines  to  effect  this  desirable  result.  I  have  obtained  a 
partial  effect,  as  my  temperature  now  goes  down  to  100^  F. 
in  the  morning.  My  illness  undoubtedly  is  "  bilious  remittent 
fever." 

All  the  sick  in  camp  are  improving — doing  really  well  now, 
as  they  have  the  great  advantages  of  rest  and  fairly  good  diet. 
The  last  of  my  chloroform  was  finished  to-day.  Much  of  it 
had  evaporated,  as  the  tin  in  which  it  was  carried  became  rusty 
during  our  long  sojourn  in  the  damp  forest,  and  the  rust 
gradually  ate  its  way  through  the  metal;  making  minute 
perforations,  through  which  the  volatile  liquid  lost  no  time 
in  escaping.  I  have  still  some  cocaine  left,  by  the  use  of 
which  I  will  still  be  able  to  perform  small  operations  without 
inflicting  pain. 

Jan.  22. — I  am  better  to-day,  but  my  head  whirls  from  the 
effect  of  the  quinine  when  I  stand ;  I  feel  quite  dizzy,  and  my 
ideas  are  all  muddled  up  and  confused :  my  back  and  limbs 
still  ache.  I  can  walk  about  200  yards — with  the  help  of  a 
stick.     My  temperature  this  morning  was  101°  F. 

One  of  my  sick  (named  Ali  Bin  Said)  stole  two  goats 
to-day  :  a  very  big  one,  and  a  little  one.  He  promptly  killed 
them,  and  was  caught  in  the  act  of  skinning  one.  Of  course, 
with  characteristic  Zanzibari  veracity,  ho  there  and  then 
vigorously  denied  having  had  any  hand  in  the  death  of  either. 
His  denial  was  not,  however,  received  in  evidence,  and  he  Avas 
at  once  treated  to  "  one  dozen  "  with  a  stout  rod,  as  a  remem- 


1889.]  OUPx    SICK   CAMP  AT  KANDEKORE.  355 

brancer.     This  same  boy  Ali  has   been   receiving  soup  and 
meat  off  every  goat  that  was  killed  since  we  came  hero. 

Jan.  23. — One  Mahdi  died  last  night  from  sheer  exhaustion, 
caused  by  the  drain  from  his  ulcers.  Stairs  has  commenced 
the  inner  fort,  which  seems  to  me  somewhat  too  big :  but  none 
of  us  question  Stairs'  undoubted  engineering  skill.  Nelson 
has  been  doing  my  work  since  I  got  ill.  The  men  are  putting 
on  flesh,  as  they  are  really  getting  plenty  of  good,  substantial 
food  now.  Some,  however,  had  been  reduced  so  low,  that 
months  must  elapse  before  they  arrive  at  a  condition  in  which 
their  digestive  and  assimilative  organs  will  be  able  to  function 
properly;  they  are  at  present  composed  simply  of  skin, 
ligament,  and  bone.  One  boy  (Muftah)  died ;  the  only  Avonder 
is  that  he  lived  so  long,  as  he  had  for  a  considerable  time 
been  reduced  to  a  walking  skeleton.  I  have  a  good  many 
cases  on  hand  still — the  result  of  prolonged  exposure  to  cold 
nights,  rain,  and  all  varieties  of  damp  in  that  wretched  forest. 
Some  of  them  approach  the  character  of  dysentery,  but  they 
are  more  truly  of  the  nature  of  gastro-intestinal  catarrh.  Those 
cases  which  I  had  the  opportunity  of  treating  early  witli 
ipecacuanha,  followed  by  lead  and  opium,  did  wonderfully  well 
considering  their  wretched  circumstances  and  diet.  A  good 
many  cases  were  prolonged  by  the  sleeping  out  at  night,  as 
they  had  not  sufficient  energy  to  build  huts  to  shelter  them- 
selves and  sleep  in  while  on  the  march. 

The  prevalence  of  gastro-intestinal  catarrh  has,  throughout, 
shared  with  the  sloughing  ulcers  the  distinction  of  being  the 
most  important  physical  obstacle  to  the  prosperous  progress  of 
our  Expedition.  We  have  all  suffered  from  it  again  and 
again :  sometimes  very  acutely,  sometimes  less  so.  Its  usual 
course  is  simply  that  of  acute  catarrh ;  in  most  cases  modified 
more  or  less  by  occurring  in  a  constitution  previously  de- 
bilitated. Ushered  in  by  febrile  disturbance  the  essential 
symptoms  are :  increased  number  of  alvine  evacuations,  with 
diminished  consistence  ;  large  quantities  of  mucous  discharge  ; 
borborygmi ;  tormina ;  a  variable  amount  of  abdominal  ten- 
derness— with  or  without  marked  tenderness  over  the  gastric 
and  hepatic  areas. 

In  addition  to  the  miasmatic  influences  which  prevail  over 
so  large  an  area  of  tropical  Africa,  the  great  factor  in  the 
causation  of  this  great  plague  has  certainly  been  the  rapid 


356  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

alternation  of  heats  and  chills.  The  symptoms  have  nearly 
always  been  those  which  must  necessarily  follow  a  rapid  deter- 
mination of  blood  from  the  suddenly  contracted  cutaneous 
vessels  towards  the  very  expansible  vessels  of  the  alimentary 
tract — passing  through  acute  hyperasmia  to  a  widespread 
stasis.  The  establishment  of  the  latter  condition  prevented 
the  discharge  from  the  intestinal  surface  from  being  so  copious 
as  to  lead  to  sudden  collapse  ;  and,  in  this  respect,  it  formed  a 
striking  contrast  to  the  phenomena  of  the  rapid  and  copious 
evacuations  of  cholera,  followed  by  the  appalling  collapse 
which  have  been  so  vividly  stamped  on  my  recollection  by  my 
Egyptian  exj^eriences.  This  difference  also  accounts  for  the 
fact  that  our  cases  of  gastro-intestinal  catarrh  were  found  fairly 
.amenable  to  treatment,  when  the  surrounding  circumstances 
were  such  as  to  allow  the  latter  a  fair  trial ;  while  the  ineflficacy 
.  of  treatment  in  the  progress  of  a  rapid  case  of  algide  cholera 
makes  the  medical  man  feel  more  paralytically  incapable  than 
in  dealing  with  any  acute  disease  I  have  met.  The  terrible 
disregard  shown  by  the  symptoms  of  this  disease  to  all  varieties 
of  treatment  have  been  indelibly  impressed  on  my  memory  by 
my  experience  during  the  epidemic  of  1883,  when  the  re- 
coveries of  our  cases  at  Helouan  amounted  to  only  29-03  of 
the  total  number  attacked,  in  spite  of  the  untiring  use  of  ever}" 
remedy  which  had  any  reputation.  One  treatment  which  I 
was  induced  to  adopt  was  the  intra-venous  injection  of  the 
following  solution  : — • 

Sodium  cliloride       .....  6  grammes. 

.,       carbonate    .....  1        „ 

Watrr 1000        „  (1  litre). 

This  was  injected — at  a  temperature  of  104°  F. — into  the 
median  basilic  vein,  immediately  above  the  bend  of  the  elbow; 
the  patient,  who  had  been  lying  in  a  state  of  extreme  collaj^se 
before  the  operation,  did  certainly  rally  on  receiving  the 
injection,  and  recovered  sufficiently  to  be  able  to  articulate 
distinctly,  but  the  improvement  was  a  transitory  one  :  collapse 
again  supervened,  and  the  fatal  issue  occurred  in  a  few  hours. 
Without  attempting  to  discuss  the  efficacy  of  the  presence 
of  the  "  comma "  bacillus  in  the  production  of  cholera,  I 
may  mention  the  strong  evidence  of  the  predisposing  influence 
of  the  previous  state  of  health,  as  furnished  by  the  following 
facts,  and  also  the  extreme  mortality  amongst  the  attendimts. 


1889.]  OUR   SICK   CAMF  AT  KANDEKORE.  357 

Of  the  number  of  persons  who  were  attacked  by  cholera  at  the 
camp  at  Helouan  : — ■ 

2-63  per  cent,  of  the  previously  healthy  were  attackeil  ; 
U'oi         ,,         ,,         convalescents  from  some  otlur  lorm  of  disease; 
ll-Tti         „         „         Medical  Staff  Corps  (previously  healthy). 

Age  also  appeared  to  exert  some  predisposing  influence  :  — 

Average  age  of  persons  attacked  v/as  .  .      '2G"o  years. 

„  „  fatal  cases  .  .  .  .      2(j'7      ,, 

„         ,,         recoveiies  .  .  .  ,     115"2      „ 

While  looking  back  on  my  experience  of  this  terrible 
Egyptian  epidemic,  it  is  somewhat  comforting  to  reflect  that 
with  all  the  horrors  and  hardshijDS  of  onr  Expedition,  I  have 
been  able  to  alleviate  the  sufferings  of  my  gastro-intestinal 
cases  liiore  effectively  than  I  could  those  of  my  cholera 
patients  while  within  reach  of  an  unlimited  supply  of  medi- 
cines. 

Jan.  24. — I  did  my  work  last  evening,  and  have  now  com- 
menced to  see  the  sick  as  usual.  My  chief  Hari  calls  out 
dowr,  dowr,  doivr,  morning  and  evening  ;  the  sick  then  come 
crowding  around  me  as  I  sit  in  my  chair  and  dole  out 
B'lrroughs  and  Welcome's  tabloids,  which  are  superior  to  any 
form  of  medicine  that  I  have  tried,  not  only  for  efficiency 
and  constancy  of  strength — as  I  have  repeatedly  noticed — 
but  also  for  extreme  convenience  of  transport  and  rapid 
dispensing. 

I  hope  that  the  medical  department  of  Her  Mnjesty's 
services  may  see  their  way  to  adopt  this  form  of  medicine.  I 
can  say  with  confidence — from  the  experience  of  over  ten  years 
in  the  Medical  8taff  of  the  army,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  in 
peace  and  war,  including  this  Expedition — that  one  man  could 
carry  a  larger  quantity  and  of  more  efficient  medicine  in  the 
tabloid  form  than  ten  can  manage  in  the  present  cumbersome 
system  used  by  the  services.  If  the  tabloid  system  were  only 
adopted  on  service  abroad,  see  what  a  difference  of  transport 
and  space  there  would  be.  These  tabloids  are  soluble  and  the 
doses  accurate  :  why  still  patronise  the  pill  with  its  indefinable 
charm,  which  becomes  concrete  and  insoluble — and,  therefore, 
useless — when  kept  a  long  time,  and  the  dignified  antiquity  of 
those  fluids  and  powders,  which  are  difficult  to  pack  and  to 
dispense ;  but  the  most  convincing  ground  of  appeal  to  the 


358  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

authorities  must  be  expenditure,  for  the  estimates  would  be 
lessened — as  one  medical  officer  could  do  the  work  of  two, 
and  dispensers  be  themselves  almost  entirely  dispensed  with. 

A  heavy  shower  of  rain  fell  last  night.  Hassan  Sadallah,  a 
Zanzibari,  died  to-day.  The  fatal  result  was  due  to  an  acute 
attack  of  dysentery  ;  he  had  received  a  chill,  and  then  surfeited 
himself  with  ripe  bananas,  having  previously  eaten  some  meat, 
which  was,  I  believe,  partially  decomposed. 

Half  a  goat  was  given  to  the  sick  to-day,  and  carefully  dis- 
tributed in  the  shape  of  soup  and  meat. 

Jan.  25. — A  foraging  party  went  out  this  morning.  It  is 
now  a  fortnight  since  Mr.  Stanley  left  here  for  the  Lake. 
Khamis  Songoro,  another  victim  of  chronic  starvation,  died 
to-day.  This  is,  I  think,  the  last  Zanzibari  invalid  who  will 
die  at  this  camp.  Since  Mr.  Stanley's  departure  the  mortality 
has  included  three  Zanzibaris,  two  Mauyuema,  one  Nubian, 
and  one  Mahdi ;  seven  in  all. 


(     359     ) 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE   STORY   OF    THE   EEAR   COLUMN. 

Lieutenant  Stairs  tiies  tlie  Maxim  macliine-gun — Jamming  of  a  Gardiner 
gmi  at  the  battle  of  Abu  Klea — Usefulness  of  our  Wiuchestei's,  com- 
pared to  other  rifles — Memoranda  of  the  events  which  occurred  at 
Yambuya  as  obtained  by  me  from  Mr.  Bonny — The  ]\Iiijor  makes 
repeated  journeys  to  Stanley  Falls — Tippu  Tib's  promised  supply  of 
carriers — The  remnant  of  the  rear  column  found  by  Mr.  Stanley  at 
Banalya — Unnecessary  delay  of  the  rear  column  in  following  the  steps 
of  the  advance  column — The  march  to  Banalya — Barttelot  shot  dead  by 
a  Manyuema — Jameson  goes  down  the  Congo  to  Bangala — Bonny  left  in 
sole  command — My  comment  on  the  foregoing  memoranda — A  feverish 
locality — The  most  powerful  enemy  in  Africa — A  foraging  party  dis- 
obeys orders — I  exchange  a  pair  of  shoes  for  a  coat — Filthy  condition  of 
our  Manyuema — Ants  are  good  scavengers,  but  otherwise  a  terrible 
annoyance — Numerical  strength  of  the  Expedition:  tiie  renr  column 
almost  exterminated — Our  total  loss  of  men — Native  Irick  of  catching 
small  fish — Progress  of  our  sick — A  native  dwarf  scared  by  a  leopard 
'  — Foraging  expeditions  for  goats  and  fowls — Arrival  of  Chief  Rashid  and 
men  to  escort  us  to  the  Lake — Mr.  Stanley  receives  letters  from  Jephson 
and  Emin  Pasha — Their  imprisonment  at  Duffle — Rebellion  in  the 
Equatorial  Province — Dance  by  Chief  Katto  and  his  men — We  quit  our 
camp  at  Kandekore  and  arrive  at  a  village  on  the  plains — Reception  at 
Mazamboni's — Description  of  the. village  and  its  surroundings — Kabba- 
Rega's  raids  on  the  Wazamboni — Familiarity  of  the  people — The  cattle 
of  the  plains — We  camp  at  Mpinga's  village. 

Jan.  26. — Nelson  had  a  severe  attack  of  fever  this  evening. 
Stairs  tried  the  Maxim  gun,  it  did  not  work  satisfactorily — 
like  all  machine-guns,  which  are  good  in  theory,  but  do  not 
yet  appear  to  have  been  brought  up  to  a  fair  standard  of 
reliability  in  practice.  At  the  battle  of  Abu  Klea,  I  was 
medical  officer  in  charge  of  the  naval  brigade  under  Lord 
Charles  Beresford  ;  on  that  occasion  owing  to  the  jamming  of 
the  Gardiner  gun — at  the  exact  moment  when  it  was  most 
required — just  as  the  Arabs  rushed  on  the  dismounted  square, 
two  officers  were  killed,  and  the  other  two,  of  the  four  naval 
officers  present,  were  wounded.  One  defect  in  the  machinery 
of  the  Maxim  gun  is  that  the  canvas-belt  contracts  when  wet, 
and   it   becomes   verv   difficult  to   introduce  the   cartridges, 


360  EXPEUIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.  [1889. 

Another  objectionable  feature  is  that  the  tin,  which  contains- 
the  water  for  keeping  the  barrel  cool,  is  detachable,  so  that  it 
may  be  lost.  It  should  be  permanently  fixed ;  for  if  lost  by 
theft,  or  accident,  the  barrel  when  in  use  would  soon  get  sO' 
hot  from  rapid  firing  that  the  gun  would  become  useless.  With 
the  exception  of  these  drawbacks,  it  seems  to  be  much  the 
best  of  the  machine-guns,  as  it  is  certainly  the  lightest,  and 
can  be  carried  by  four  men  without  difficulty,  even  during 
forced  marching.  Our  other  weapons  were  Eemingtons,  Win- 
chesters, and  revolvers.  The  Remington  seems  to  me  superior 
to  the  Martini-Henry  rifle,  at  least  for  our  purposes,  for  it 
never  gets  out  of  order  unless  some  of  the  machinery  is  lost, 
and  it  is  very  easily  cleaned.  In  the  Relief  Expedition  for 
Gordon  the  cartridges  constantly  jammed  in  the  latter  rifle- 
— a  great  source  of  danger.  Our  Winchesters  carry  fifteen 
rounds,  and  are  invaluable  up  to  300  yards  ;  they  are  especially 
useful  at  short  distances  in  the  forest. 

When  talking  to  the  men  of  Hassan  Sadallah's  company 
concerning  his  death,  they  denied  his  having  eaten  any  de- 
composed meat ;  still,  on  making  the  usual  Saturday's  sanitary 
inspection  of  the  huts  to-day,  1  found  portions  of  half-dried,, 
half-decomposed  meat  in  several  of  their  huts. 

I  jotted  down  to-day  the  memoranda  of  the  events  which 
had  occurred  at  Yambuya,  as  I  obtained  them  from  Bonny. 
They  are  as  follows  : — 

Ward  and  Bonny,  who  had  been  left  at  Bolobo,  with  125 
men,  in  Juno,  1887,  arrived  in  the  steamship  Stanley  at 
Yambuya,  on  the  14th  of  August  of  the  same  year.  But  three 
of  the  125  men  had  died,  and  two  were  sick  at  this  time. 
Troup,  who  arrived  by  the  same  steamer,  brought  with  him  a. 
few  stragglers  who  had  been  left  behind  (sick)  on  the  march 
to  Stanley  Pool.  This  contingent  made  Bonuy's  jiarty  up  to 
131  men. 

On  the  15th  of  August  (1887)  firing  was  hoard  on  the  river, 
above  Yambuya ;  this  was  the  announcement  of  the  approach 
of  a  party  of  Tippu-Tib's  ivory-hunters — numbering  about 
160.  Some  of  the  Zauzibaris  left  the  fort,  went  up  the  river,, 
and  conducted  this  party  to  Yambuya.  Some  of  these  hunters- 
accompanied  Jameson  to  Stanley  Falls,  whither  he  proceeded 
in  order  to  have  an  interview  with  Ti])])u-'^rib  about  the  carriers 
who  were  required.    The  latter  promised  600  carriers,  who  would 


1889.]  THE  STORY   OF   THE  REAR    COLUMN.  301 

be  ready  in  ten  days  after  Jameson's  arrival  at  Stanley  Falls. 
Jameson  returned  to  Yambuya  and  assured  them  there  that 
the  carriers  would  be  ready,  according  to  Tippu-Tib's  promise. 
No  carriers,  however,  arrived  at  the  appointed  time  ;  and  the 
Arabs,  who  were  staying  at  Yambuya,  said  that  Tippu-Tib  had 
gone  to  settle  a  dispute  at  the  Lumami  Kiver,  and  would 
return  with  the  carriers  in  a  week  or  two.  Time  passed 
fruitlessly  away;  the  end  of  September  came,  but  still  no 
carriers :  so  Barttelot  started  with  Troup  for  Stanley  Falls, 
where  they  remained  till  the  end  of  October.  Tippu-Tib  by 
this  time  had  admitted  that  he  could  not  get  the  carriers 
unless  he  went  in  person  to  Kasongo  to  fetch  them— going 
there  and  returning  with  the  carriers  would  occupy  a  period 
of  forty-three  days.  Tippu-Tib  did  leave  for  Kasongo  at  last 
(about  the  1st  of  November).  Month  after  month  then  passed 
without  any  news  of  Tippu-Tib  or  the  carriers,  while  numerous 
vague  excuses  were  being  given  for  their  absence.  Accord- 
ingly Barttelot  and  Jameson  again  went  to  Stanley  Falls 
(16th  Feb.,  1888),  and  there  it  was  decided  that  Jameson 
should  start  after  'lippu-Tib  to  Kasongo,  which  was  situated 
several  hundred  miles  up  the  Congo.  Jameson  then  started 
at -once,  accompanied  by  Assad  Farran  (interpreter),  his  gun- 
bearer,  and  some  Manyuema  guides.  He  returned  to  Yambuya 
on  the  5th  or  6th  of  June  following,  with  Tippu-Tib  and  430 
carriers.  In  the  meantime,  Barttelot  had  again  gone  from 
Yambuya  to  Stanley  Falls  (on  the  25th  of  ]\[arch).  On  the 
28th  of  March,  Ward,  after  eight  months  at  Yambuya,  had 
been  sent  with  despatches  for  the  Emin  Pasha  Belief  Com- 
mittee to  the  coast  (St.  Paul  de  Loanda,  where  the  cable  ter- 
minates) about  20U0  miles  away.  So  that  up  to  this  date, 
which  was  about  twelve  months  from  that  of  our  landing  at 
Yambuya,  Barttelot  had  travelled,  to  and  fro,  about  800  miles. 
Jameson  had  done  the  same  journey  twice,  and  also  had  gone 
to  Kasongo  and  back  (1200  miles  in  all)  ;  Troup  has  once  been 
to  Stanley  Falls  and  back  (400  miles) ;  Ward  has  been  down, 
or  is  on  his  way  down,  to  the  coast,  and  is  to  return— a  trip  of 
2000  miles  to  send  a  telegram,  and  the  same  distance  back :  if 
all  this  work  expended  in  fruitless  flitting  about  had  been 
utilised  by  advancing  even  a  mile  a-dayon  our  track,  it  would 
at  least  have  given  some  healthy  exercise  to  the  men,  and 
would  be  assisting  the  Expedition.     A  letter  was  subsequently 


362  EXPERIENCES   IX  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

sent  by  Barttelot  to  the  cliief  of  the  Bangala  station,  advising 
him  to  stop  Ward,  coming  up  with  his  despatches  at  that 
station — for  some  unaccountable  reason. 

On  the  11th  of  June,  1888,  when  the  Advance  Column,  after 
bringing  relief  to  Emin  was  at  Fort  Bodo  on  its  way  back  to 
find  the  Bear  Column,  Barttelot,  Jameson,  and  Bonny  left 
Yambuya  with  436  loads — which  were  now  reduced  to  half 
their  original  weight — to  follow  up  Stanley's  track.  This 
caravan  consisted  of — 

Men.  Boys. 

Zanzibaris 108  8 

Nubians 22  0 

ISomalis         .......          1  0 

making  a  total  of  139 — the  remnant  of  the  original  271  who 
had  been  left  at  Yambuya.  So  that  in  somewhat  less  than  a 
year  132,  or  nearly  half  of  the  total  number  left,  had  either 
died  or  deserted.  Added  to  this  number  were  now  430  Man- 
yuema,  making  a  total  of  569  (approximately).  When  leaving 
Yambuya,  thirty-three  of  the  Zanzibaris,  who  were  unable  to 
march  from  sickness  and  debility,  were  left  behind  with  Tippu- 
Tib's  people ;  and  those  loads  which  were  considered  least 
necessary  were  sent  down  the  river  to  Bangala.  Several 
loads  (of  cloth,  &c.)  were  given  to  Tippu-Tib,  as  part  pay- 
ment for  the  service  of  the  carriers.  Goods  of  the  value  of 
£120  sterling  were  given  to  Muini  Soumai,  one  of  Tippu-Tib's 
chiefs,  who  accompanied  the  caravan  in  charge  of  the  Man- 
yuema;  this  was  in  part  payment  of  the  £1000  which  it  was 
arranged  that  he  should  receive.  These  436  half-loads  should 
have  been  carried  by  218  men,  according  to  our  original 
arrangements  in  marching  ;  by  doing  this,  the  carriers  would 
only  be  carrying  the  same  weight  as  those  of  the  Advance 
Column.  So  that  it  can  be  seen  that  the  men  of  the  Rear 
Column  had  comparatively  light  work  now,  as  they  were 
provided  with  such  an  abundance  of  carriers.  If  the  white 
men  had  left  Yambuya  when  the  garrison  became  augmented 
by  the  125  men  (and  two  Europeans  and  boys)  on  the  arrival 
of  the  S.S.  Stcmhii,  on  the  14th  of  August,  1887,  there  were  then 
271  men  and  officers  belonging  to  the  Expedition  available  in 
the  Yambuya  camp,  and  they  could  have  carried  the  same 
quantity  of  loads  (218  full  loads)  for  which  they  afterwards 
utilised  436  carriers.  So  that  they  had  a  sufficient  number 
of  carriers  then,  and  could  have  started  almost  directly  after 


1889.]  THE  STORY   OF   THE  BEAM    COLUMN.  oGo 

the  Advance  Columu ;  and,  even  granting  that  a  third  more 
were  down  with  disease,  or  debility,  they  could  have  made 
two  marches  instead  of  one  with  ease,  without  all  this 
expenditure  of  time  and  trouble  and  life.  This  delay  was, 
obviously,  a  great  error  of  judgment;  this  is  demonstrated  by 
the  result  that  the  monotony  of  camp  life,  the  same  food  day 
after  day,  and  want  of  exercise  performed  for  some  definite 
object,  had  within  the  year  reduced  the  entire  force  by  fifty 
per  cent,  of  its  strength,  and  had  left  the  residue  shattered  by 
disease  and  ennui.  Troup  was  invalided  home  on  the  8th  or 
9th  of  June,  so  that  he  had  not  been  quite  a  year  in  the  camp. 
He  was  sent  down  river  in  the  steamship  A.  L  A.,  which  had 
come  up  river  with  thirty-five  men,  who  accompanied  Ward  to 
Bangala.  The  caravan  marched  on  from  the  11th  till  the 
23rd  of  June — almost  simultaneously  with  Stanley's  start  from 
Fort  Bodo,  the  latter  leaving  five  days  later  (on  the  ICth). 
They  then  lost  the  road,  twenty-two  Zanzibaris  had  already 
deserted  since  they  started  on  the  11th,  and  Barttelot  left  Bonny 
with  the  Zanzibaris  in  a  village,  with  orders  to  find  Stanley's 
road,  while  he  himself  started  for  Stanley  Falls  to  see  Tippu- 
Tib,  and  try  to  put  a  stop  to  the  desertion.  Jameson  was 
following  up  with  the  Manyuema,  some  few  days  in  the  rear. 
He  reached  Bonny  on  the  28th  of  June,  returning  on  the 
29th,  and  bringing  up  all  the  Manyuema  to  camp  on  the  30th. 
On  the  1st  of  July,  Jameson,  Bonny,  and  the  entire  caravan 
moved  on  to  a  village  one  day  a-head,  where  there  was  plenty 
of  food.  Muini  Soumai  remained  behind  with  some  few  loads, 
which  they  could  not  have  carried  up,  owing  to  the  frequent 
and  increasing  desertions.  Jameson  returned  with  some  men 
and  brought  up  Muini  Soumai  and  loads  to  the  above  village 
on  the  5th  of  July.  On  the  8th  of  July  the  caravan  marched  : 
on  the  11th  it  struck  Stanley's  road  on  the  river-bank  ;  on 
■the  15th  it  had  reached  Banalya,  a  native  village  occupied 
by  Manyuema  Arabs;  and,  by  the  17th,  the  entire  column 
had  arrived  there,  with  the  exception  of  Jameson  and  nine 
men,  who  had  remained  behind  on  the  road  to  look  after  the 
surplus  loads.  On  the  16th  Bonny  sent  back  twenty-five  men 
to  assist  Jameson  to  bring  on  these  loads ;  the  latter  moved  on 
and  arrived  at  Banalya  on  the  22nd — the  17th  w^as  the  day  on 
which  Barttelot  arrived  at  Banalya,  having  completed  another 
march  of  500  miles ;  which,  added  to  his  former  trips  to  the 


364  EXPEBIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

Falls,  makes  it  up  to  1300  miles.  On  the  18tli  (the  clay  after  his 
arrival),  Barttelot  had  a  dispute  with  Abdullah,  one  of  Tippu- 
Tib's  chiefs,  resident  at  Banalya  village ;  this  was  in  reference 
to  six  carriers.  About  5  a.m.  on  the  l^th,  Barttelot  was  shot 
dead  by  a  Manyuema,  who  had  aimed  at  him  through  a  loop- 
hole in  the  wall  of  a  hut.  Death  was  instantaneous,  as  the 
slugs  had  passed  through  the  left  breast,  and  penetrated  the 
heart.  Bonny  was  immediately  on  the  spot,  and  found  life 
extinct ;  the  body  was  lying,  in  the  prone  position,  in  a  pool  of 
blood,  with  the  right  hand  holding  a  revolver  across  his  loins. 
The  Manyuema  had  made  themselves  extremely  disagreeable 
to  Barttelot's  irritable  nature,  by  constantly  firing  off  their 
rifles  in  camp  without  any  apparent  reason  for  doing  so  ;  the 
women  also  annoyed  him,  by  singing  at  all  hours  of  the  day 
and  night.  This  is  their  ordinary  custom,  but  they  no  doubt 
exaggerated  these  annoyances,  as  they  certainly  did  not  like 
Barttelot.  The  immediate  exciting  cause  of  the  murder  was 
said  to  be  a  threat  to  strike  a  woman  who  was  singing  at  this 
early  hour  in  the  morning. 

Bonny  then  despatched  messengers  for  Jameson,  who  arrived 
on  the  22nd.  The  loads  came  into  camp  on  the  23rd.  On 
the  24th  of  July,  Jameson  left  Banalya  for  Stanley  Falls  to 
see  about  having  the  murderer  punished — also  to  procure 
more  carriers,  as  nearly  all  the  Manyuema  had  run  away  after 
the  murder  had  been  commi^'^ed.  In  this  general  stampede 
too,  they  managed  to  carry  off  many  of  the  loads,  and  a  great 
many  more  were  thrown  away  in  the  bush ;  most  of  these 
Bonny  had  collected  and  brought  into  camp.  Bonny  received 
a  letter  from  Jameson  saying  that  he  was  going  to  continue 
his  journey  down  to  Bangala — to  ^.q  the  despatches  from  the 
committee,  cable  home  the  latest  news,  bring  up  Ward,  get 
carriers  from  Tijipu-Tib,  return  to  Banalya,  and  then  continue 
the  march.  In  the  meantime.  Bonny  was  to  remain  at  Banalya, 
and  look  after  the  men  and  goods  that  were  left. 

On  the  17th  of  August  (1888),  exactly  two  months  after  he 
had  left  Fort  Bodo,  ]\[r.  Stanley  arrived  at  Banalya,  when 
Bonny  handed  him  over  the  small  supply  of  goods  that  were 
left,  with  seventy-one  Zanzibaris,  twenty-two  Soudanese,  and 
one  Somali, — the  remnant  left  of  the  original  271  in  the 
Kear  Column, — and  one  Euro})ean  out  of  five. 

In  a  letter  from  Barttelot  to  Bonny — dated  22nd  Aj)ril,188S^ 


1889.]  THE  STORY   OF   THE  BEAR    COLUMN.  365 

he  had  directed  Bonny  to  take  over  charge  of  the  Eear  Column 
if  anything-  happened  to  himself.  At  this  time  there  was  no 
one  else  available,  Jameson  being  then  avi^ay  at  Kasongo  ;  Ward 
had  gone  with  despatches  to  St.  Paul  de  Loando,  while  Troup 
was  ill  in  bed,  and  was  eventually  invalided  liome. 

Comment  on  the  disastrous  condition  of  the  Rear  Column  is 
unnecessary,  as  some  of  the  officers  appeared  to  have  been  at 
loggerheads,  and  were  on  bad  terms  with  the  men.  The  loads 
of  current  money  (cloth,  beads,  &c.)  had  been  greatly  reduced 
in  quantity  through  some  error  of  judgment,  therefore  some 
one  or  all  of  the  officers  of  the  Rear  Column  must,  to  a  very  con- 
siderable extent,  bear  the  blame  of  the  disaster  ;  but  Barttelot 
and  Jameson  cannot  be  accused  of  want  of  zeal — as  shown 
by  their  active  marching — however  misdirected.  Mr.  Stanley 
may  also  be  blamed  for  not  waiting  for  the  entire  force ;  but 
the  object  of  the  Expedition  was  toibring  relief  to  Emin,  and 
every  day  was  of  vital  importance ;  the  loss  of  Gordon  and 
Khartoum  is  said  to  be  due  to  the  delay  of  only  three  days  at 
Metammeh.  I  therefore  am  of  opinion  that  the  necessity  of 
an  Advance  Column  to  push  ahead,  was  not  only  obvious,  but 
imperative.  Tippu-Tib  was  certainly  a  great  factor  in  the 
disaster ;  but  he  should  not  have  been  relied  upon  so  much ; 
for  when  he  broke  his  promise  to  Stanley  he  would  certainly 
do  so  to  the  officers  of  the  Rear  Column.  The  loss  of  Barttelot, 
and  the  absence  of  Jameson,  have  a  very  depressing  effect  on 
all  of  us  in  the  Advance  Column,  who,  up  to  this,  have  worked 
so  hard,  suffered  so  much,  and  succeeded  fairly  well.  The 
best  feeling  has,  indeed,  always  existed  between  ourselves  and 
our  men.  ]\Iany  men  in  Mr.  Stanley's  position,  having  gone 
through  the  hardships  which  he  had  experienced  in  the 
forest,  and  arriving  at  Banalya  to  find  the  Rear  Column 
«o  completely  wrecked,  might  well  have  been  pardoned  going 
down  the  Congo  and  back  to  civilised  Europe — and  never 
facing  that  dismal  forest  again,  after  having  twice  crossed 
it  through  so  much  hardship  and  privation. 

Jan.  27. — Half  a  goat  was  distributed  among  the  sick 
to-day.  This  seems  to  be  a  feverish  locality,  as  all  the  men 
have  had  bad  attacks  of  it  since  we  came  here.  My  Pigmy 
girl  has  also  had  two  attacks.  I  believe  that  the  great  cause 
Iiere  is  the  scorching  heat  to  which  we  are  exposed  from  the 
•direct  rays  of  the  sun.    We  are  placed  in  a  broad,  open  clearing ; 


366  EXPEEIENCES   IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.  [1889. 

and  are,  accordingly,  deprived  of  the  one  advantage  which  the 
forest,  with  all  its  horrors,  had  always  yielded  to  us — an  im- 
penetrable shade  from  the  burning  heat.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  the  most  powerful  enemy  in  Africa — for  both  blacks  and 
whites — is  the  direct  heat  of  the  sun ;  but  more  especially 
when  followed  by  chilling  hreezes  from  any  direction. 

Very  heavy  rain  fell  last  night.  I  got  thoroughly  drenched, 
as  none  of  our  houses  are  proof  against  these  terrible  tropical 
showers.  Each  of  these  latter  is  invariably  preceded  by  a 
violent  tornado. 

Jan.  28. — The  foraging-party  returned  early  to-day.  They 
treated  us  to  a  long  story  about  how  they  had  gone  in  the 
exact  direction  in  which  they  had  been  told  to  go.  This  was 
all  stoutly  verified  by  the  chief  in  charge  of  the  party. 
Suspecting  their  veracity,  Stairs  cross-examined  them,  and 
found  that  they  had  gone  in  the  very  direction  that  they  had 
been  instructed  not  to  go,  as  they  had  crossed  the  river  close 
by.  They  were  all  fallen  in,  and  Stairs  told  them  that  they 
had  broken  faith.  The  wretches  must  have  eaten  about 
twenty  goats,  as  Stairs  could  certainly  account  for  fifteen,  and 
they  brought  back  but  three  and  a  kid.  This,  although 
they  well  knew  that  we  had  given  goat's  meat  to  the  sick  upon 
several  occasions  when  we  had  denied  it  to  ourselves  ! 

I  have  given  William  a  pair  of  almost  new  shoes  of  Arab 
pattern  (with  pointed,  turned-up  toes),  and  made  of  tanned 
leather  of  scarlet  colour,  which  I  had  given  me  by  the  Pasha. 
This  was  in  exchange  for  a  coat  after  Mr.  Stanley's  own  pattern, 
which  is  made  of  very  light  stuff,  braided,  and  buttoned  up  to 
the  throat.  It  will  have  to  be  altered,  as  it  is  very  tight  across 
the  shoulders. 

Jan.  29. — Our  Manyuema  here  are  a  very  filthy  lot.  Two 
or  three  of  them  will  certainly  die  soon,  and  this  simply 
because  they  will  not  make  any  effort  to  cleanse  their  ulcers, 
their  bodies,  or  their  huts. 

The  beads,  used  as  money  in  the  -part  of  the  country  we 
are  coming  to,  are  now  being  put  into  the  bags,  as  the  boxes 
are  getting  broken,  and  the  beads  are  getting  gradually  lost. 

We  killed  a  goat  to-day,  half  of  which  we  gave  to  the  sick 
(twenty-four  in  number),  in  the  shape  of  both  soup  and  meat. 

Jan.  30.— .  .  .  . 

Jan.  31. — The   central  watch-tower  was  completed  to-day. 


1889.]  THE  STORY   OF   THE  BEAR    COLUMN.  367 

My  boy  has  been  occupied  all  the  moruing  in  burning  grasses 
around  the  back  of  my  hut  to  keep  off  the  army  corps  of  ants 
which  swarm  over  the  place.  These  creatures  are  good 
scavengers,  but  are  otherwise  a  terrible  annoyance.  If  but  a 
fragment  of  banana,  or  any  other  form  of  eatable,  is  thrown  on 
the  ground  when  not  a  single  ant  is  to  be  seen  about  the  place, 
there  will  be  thousands  of  them  found  converging  from  all 
directions  in  about  five  minutes.  They  must  be  gifted  with 
some  extra  senses,  one  would  think. 

On  Mr,  Stanley's  arrival  at  Fort  Bodo,  on  returning  from 
Yambuya,  he  had  left  with  him  but  thirty-six  of  the  Zanzibaris 
of  the  Eear  Column,  out  of  the  seventy-one  which  he  had  found 
at  Banalya  on  the  17th  of  August,  1888.  Accordingly,  the 
Eear  Column  has  now  been  almost  exterminated ;  as  there 
remain  but  thirty-six  blacks  and  one  white,  of  the  271  blacks 
and  whites  who  had  been  left  at  Yambuya  in  the  middle  of 
'87,  There  are  now  in  the  whole  Expedition  about  200 
Zanzibaris,  106  of  whom  were  strong  enough  to  accompany 
Mr.  Stanley  from  here  to  the  Lake,  when  he  started  on  the 
11th  inst.  We  have  lost  altogether  over  400  Zanzibaris, 
40  Nubians,  12  Somalis,  about  80  Mahdis,  a  number  of 
follojS'ers  which  cannot  be  enumerated  ;  also  Barttelot,  Jameson, 
Ward,  Troup,  and  probably  Jephson  and  Emin  Pasha.  I 
cannot  understand  why  it  is  that  our  leader  is  so  particularly 
anxious  not  to  bring  the  Pasha  away,  but  merely  to  hand  him 
over  the  ammunition  ;  for,  with  the  comparatively  small  band  of 
followers  which  we  have  now  left,  it  will  be  difficult  to  drive 
through  to  Zanzibar  without  a  larger  force,  and  by  increasing 
the  number,  even  if  the  reinforcement  consisted  of  women  and 
children,  we  would  form  a  more  imposing  caravan ;  and  its  very 
size  would,  I  think,  have  the  effect  of  keeping  at  bay  some 
of  the  hostile  native  tribes, 

Feb,  1. — The  men  fell  in  this  morning,  and  confessed  that 
they  had  disobeyed  orders  on  the  last  foraging  expedition. 
They  all  fell  down  as  a  sign  of  their  guilt ;  but  this  self- 
humiliating  freak  is  often  performed  for  little  or  nothing,  so 
that  we  whites  have  learned  to  take  it  at  its  proper  value. 

Feb.  2, — A  goat  was  killed  to-day  for  the  sick.  There  was 
a  new  moon  last  night.  The  men  got  "  roiisa  "  for  half  the  day, 
to  go  out  and  collect  bananas.  During  the  several  months 
that  Ave  spent  at  Fort  Bodo,  and  also  since  we  have  come  to 


368  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

this  convalescent  camp,  the  men  have  always  been  excused 
work  on  Sundays. 

Our  men  practise  their  trick  of  catching  small  fish  in  the 
ponds  by  throwing  in  leaves,  &c.,  of  a  species  of  Euphorbia.  Its 
presence  gives  the  water  an  intoxicating  influence  on  the  fish,  so 
that  they  soon  come  to  float  on  the  surface  in  a  state  of  torpor, 
and  can  easily  be  collected.  A  plant  from  which  the  natives 
.  make  their  salt  grows  on  the  water  surface  of  swamps,  &c.,  and 
is  uncommonly  like  our  domestic  "  house-leek  "  in  appearance. 
Feb,  3. — No  news  from  Mr.  Stanley  yet.  I  should  greatly 
liketohearof  his  success  (or  otherwise)  in  communicating  with 
Em  in.  Still  I  would  prefer  to  stay  here  for  another  month,  as 
by  the  end  of  that  time  all  the  men  will,  I  trust,  according 
to  their  present  rate  of  progress,  be  really  "  fit "  again.  If,  on 
the  other  hand,  Mr.  Stanley  were  to  return  here  to-morrow, 
he  could  not  expect  them  all  in  good  working  order ;  they  are 
far  from  that  as  yet. 

Stairs  went  this  morning  to  try  and  have  a  shot  at  some 
•game.     He  got  within  150  yards  of  some  buffiilo,  but  did  not 
:see  any  other  variety. 
Feb.  4.—.  .  .  . 

Feb.  5. — Last  night  a  native  Pigmy  ran  back  to  the  fort 
in  a  state  of  great  excitement.  She  said  that  a  leopard  had 
pounced  on  her,  and  caught  hold  of  her  shoulder.  She  was 
•evidently  greatly  frightened,  and  was  trembling  all  over  ;  but 
no  marks  could  be  seen.  We  placed  a  goat  close  outside 
the  fort  to  act  as  a  decoy,  so  that  we  might  have  a  chance  of  a 
•shot  at  the  carnivore  if  it  again  displayed  aggressive  signs 
of  hunger — but  no  leopard  came. 
Feb.  6.—.  .  .  . 

Feb.  7. — A  ruga- ruga  party,  of  about  thirty,  left  camp 
yesterday — to  return  to-morrow.  Four  or  five  of  them,  how- 
over,  returned  this  evening,  bringing  with  them  a  goat  and 
some  plantains.  The  rest  of  the  party  had  proceeded  further 
for  more  food. 

One  of  the  j\ranyucma  died  to-day  of  chronic  dysentery. 
The  ]\[anyucma  always  say  of  one  of  their  sick,  "  Oh,  he  is 
Mcll,"  and  are  much  more  unfeeling  to  their  invalid  comrades 
than  even  the  Zanzibaris.     They  actually  seem  to  think  no 
more  of  dying  than  of  eating. 

Feb.  8. — We  killed  a  goat  to-day,  most  of  which  v.as  given 


1889.]  THE   STOnr   OF   THE  BEAR    COLUMN.  309 

to  the  sick  in  the  form  of  soup.  Nelson  is  by  no  means  in  a 
good  condition  to  cross  Africa,  as  he  has  now  had  ulcers,  off 
and  on,  since  August,  1887. 

Feb.  9. — The  remainder  of  the  ruga -ruga  party  arrived  to- 
day. They  brought  us  a  great  quantity  of  food.  Baluk,  a 
Manyuema,  died  to-day  of  the  exhaustion  produced  by  his 
ulcers.  I  am  glad  to  say,  however,  that  by  this  time  not  one 
of  the  Zanzibaris  uses  native  dotvr  (medicine),  as  they  all  have 
learned  to  appreciate  the  qualities  of  the  European  medicines 
as  compared  with  their  own. 

Feb.  10. — Rashid,  the  head  chief  of  the  Zanzibaris,  arrived 
to-day,  with  forty  Zanzibaris,  and  100  men  of  Mazamboni's 
tribe,  to  bring  us  on  to  Mr.  Stanley.  This  is  certainly  a 
remarkable  instance  of  the  extraordinary  power  which  Mr. 
Stanley  exercises  over  the  native  mind,  and  the  respect 
which  he  commands.  These  are  the  very  men  who  fought  so 
bitterly  against  him  on  first  going  to  the  Lake !  Our  leader 
undoubtedly  exerts  the  same  influence  over  white  men :  for 
whether  one  likes  him  or  not,  one  feels  compelled  to  respect 
and  admire  him.  All  of  us  treat  him  with  as  much  deference 
and  courtesy  as  if  we  were  fully  tied  down  by  despotic  regu- 
lations and  relentless  red  tape. 

We  now  heard  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  received  a  packet  from 
Kavalli  on  the  17th  of  January,  containing  a  letter  from 
Jephson,  dated  "  Duftle,  Nov.  7th,  '^S,"  with  a  postscrij^t  dated 
^'  Wadelai,  Nov.  24th,  '^d>,''  and  a  second  postscript  dated 
"  Tunguru,  Dec.  18th,  '88  " ;  also  two  brief  letters  from  Emin 
Pasha,  respectively  dated  "Duffle,  Sept.  2nd,  '88,"  and 
"  Tunguru,  Dec.  21st,  '88."  These  documents  told  the  startling 
tale  that  Emin  Pasha  and  Jephson  had  been  made  prisoners 
on  the  18th  of  August,  'SS,  and  were  sent  to  Rejaf,  on  or  about 
the  same  day  that  Mr.  Stanley  arrived  at  Banalya.  However, 
by  the  intervention  of  Providence,  the  Mahdi's  troops  from 
Khartoum  came  up  the  river  in  steamers,  and  captured  Rejaf, 
Bidden,  Kirri  and  Muggi,  with  all  ammunition  and  stores, 
killing  several  rebel  officers  and  men  of  No.  1  Battalion 
(who  had  been  in  a  state  of  mutiny  for  years,  and  who,  finally, 
made  a  prisoner  of  the  Pasha).  The  rebels  rallied  together, 
and  tried  to  retake  Rejaf,  but  were  beaten  off;  the  Pasha  and 
Jephson  taking  the  opportunity  of  escaping  in  the  melee.  Both 
of  them   got   to  Mswa,   the   most   southerly  station   on   the 

2  B 


370  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATOItlAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

shores  of  the  Albert  Nyanza,  and,  on  the  6th  of  February, 
Jephson  turned  up  at  Kavalli's,  the  Pasha  writing  from  Mswa 
to  say  that  he  woukl  come  out,  and  that  he  and  Casati  woukl 
avail  themselves  of  our  escort,  but  finishing  his  letter  by  saying 
goodbye,  as  he  might  not  see  ]\Ir.  Stanley  or  his  officers  again  I 

The  party  under  Eashid  brought  a  little  vegetable  food,  but 
no  meat.  Katto,  brother  of  the  great  chief  Mazamboni,  and 
another  native  chief,  came  with  their  men;  who  gave  us  a 
magnificent  dance  and  sang  to  the  music  of  three  drums. 
Their  dance  is  accompanied  by  a  great  variety  of  wriggling 
movements,  and  is  of  a  licentious  character — something  after 
the  fashion  of  the  "  nautch." 

Feb.  11. — All  hands  are  engaged  in  preparing  a  supply  of 
food  for  four  days.  Eashid's  party  got  one  goat  last  night ; 
Katto  got  one  large  and  two  small  ones  for  his  people.  The 
sick  in  camp  were  supplied  with  half  a  goat.  Nelson  is  to 
take  charge  of  Mazamboni's  men. 

Feb.  12. — Every  available  man  was  furnished  this  morning 
with  a  load  to  carry ;  and  at  8.30  a.m.  all  hands  were  marched 
out  of  the  fort,  and  off  to  join  Mr.  Stanley.  Of  the  ninety- 
nine  of  Mazamboni's  men,  only  seventy  fell  in  to  receive  their 
loads.     Like  all  Africans,  they  are  good  schemers. 

We  camped  about  noon,  in  a  beautiful  corner  of  the  forest 
— in  the  shade,  with  a  full  view  of  the  open  plain  in  front. 

Feb.  13. — Yesterday  we  reached  the  plain  about  10.30  a.m.  ; 
to-day  we  marched  about  six  miles,  and  halted  in  Fetteh's 
Malonga — the  village  in  which  we  had  stayed  when  going 
to  the  Lake  before,  and  where  Fetteh  had  been  so  nearly 
killed  by  an  arrow.  The  sultan  of  the  tribe  came,  and  gave 
us  a  present  of  seventeen  fowls.  We  tied  up  one  of  his  men, 
who  had  shot  an  arrow  at  one  of  our  Nubians  ;  but  the  sultan 
interfered  in  his  favour,  and  gave  us  a  goat  as  the  price  of -his 
release  ;  he  also  added  a  good  supply  of  bananas.  The  sultan 
wanted  us  to  go  and  fight  for  him  against  some  neighbouring- 
tribe,  but  we  declined  the  privilege.  Katto  was  extremely 
anxious  that  we  should  go  and  help  him  to  make  a  good  row, 
so  that  his  men  might  get  some  loot.  As  he  was  Mazamboni's 
brother  and  active  minister,  we  excused  ourselves  as  diplo- 
matically as  we  could. 

Feb.  14. — At  daybreak  we  left  camp,  and  marched  about 
eight  miles.     We  cam})cd  in  the  open,  where  we  experienced 


1889.]  THE  STORY   OF   THE  REAR    COLUMN.  371 

great  inconvenience  from  the  want  of  wood  to  make  fires. 
We  had  only  the  canelike  grass  of  the  field  to  burn.  We 
had  halted,  as  usual,  in  the  course  of  our  march  for  tereheso 
(luncheon). 

Feb.  15. — We  reached  Mazamboni's  about  2  p.m.  to  day, 
and  met  with  a  very  good  reception.  We  camped  at  once, 
and  proceeded  to  kill  a  goat  for  the  sick.  The  place  is  like 
an  enormous  fair-green ;  over  a  thousand  people  collected, 
and  sold  chickens,  flour,  and  sweet  potatoes  to  our  men.  The 
medium  of  exchange  on  our  side  was  the  cowrie — ten  for  one 
fowl.  It  was  amusing  to  see  our  men  seize  their  opportunity, 
and  make  love  to  Mazamboni's  people ;  they  would  stroll 
away  with  their  arms  around  their  newly-made  brothers  to  the 
villages,  and  return  quickly  with  a  fowl  or  some  eatable,  which 
they  made  it  a  sine  qua  non  should  be  price  of  the  seal  of 
friendship. 

We  received  a  letter  here  from  Mr.  Stanley,  saying  that 
Emin  Pasha  and  the  first  contingent  of  his  people  had  arrived, 
and  that  they  would  accompany  '  is  to  Zanzibar.  Mazamboni 
is  very  wealthy,  having  large  h  3i  ds  of  cattle ;  most  of  his 
country  lies  in  a  rich  valley,  thrc  uj  h  which  a  pretty  curving 
river  flows.  There  are  large  fie  Id  •i  cultivated  for  growing 
Indian  corn  (mafammah),  duhra,  an  d  ^weet  potatoes.  There  is. 
a  vast  expanse  of  undulating  grass  pkin — without  fences,  oa 
which  large  herds  of  cattle  are  gn>zing.  On  the  margin  of 
the  forest,  just  as  we  emerged  on  the  plain,  we  met  a  good 
number  of  guinea-fowls,  and  saw  a  great  many  new  flowers, 
which  evidently  owed  their  existence  to  the  genial  influence 
of  the  rays  of  the  sun,  under  which  their  colours  bloomed 
brightly. 

Feb.  16. — Tliese  people  all  speak  the  language  of  Unyoro, 
which  is  understood  by  some  of  our  men  ;  so  that  there  is  little 
difficulty  in  the  interchange  of  ideas  between  us  and  them. 
Although  they  have  no  rifles,  or  guns  of  any  kind,  yet  they 
know  very  well  of  their  existence,  and  are  aware,  to  their  cost, 
of  their  deadly  uses,  as  frequent  raids  have  been  made  on 
them  from  Unyoro.  This  latter  country  is  about  four  days 
off,  and  the  king  there  (Kabba  Kega)  has  about  2000  firearms, 
which  are  mostly  tower  muskets  that  have  been  bought  at  the 
coast  by  Arab  traders  at  one  dollar  each,  and  exchanged  for  a 
tusk   of  ivorv  each — the   value   of  the   latter   article  being 

2  B  2 


372  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AERICA.  [1889. 

in  proportion  to  its  weight ;  somethiug  like  ten  shillings  per 
pound.     An  average  tusk  would  be  60  lbs.  in  weight. 

AVe  spent  the  day  at  Mazamboni's,  who  sent  us  a  two-year- 
old  cow,  with  a  small  supply  of  Indian  meal,  sugar-cane,  and 
beans  for  the  men.  The  camp  was  crowded  all  day,  and 
the  chiefs  spent  their  whole  time  with  us.  The  practice 
among  them  is  not  to  speak  to  their  chief  directly,  but  to  one 
of  his  subordinate  chiefs,  who  conveys  the  communication  to 
him.  These  people,  like  the  natives  of  the  forest,  do  not  appear 
to  look  upon  us  as  anything  very  much  superior  to  themselves  ; 
they  move  about  boldly  amongst  us,  handling  everything, 
asking  for  anything  to  which  they  take  a  fancy,  and  rather 
looking  upon  us  whites  as  pale,  whitewashed,  sickly-looking 
individuals ;  which  we  certainly  appear  to  be  by  contrast  with 
their  well-nourished  forms,  and  rich,  glossy  brown  skins.  We 
evidently  hold  a  much  more  exalted  opinion  of  ourselves  than 
they  do  of  us. 

Feb.  17. — After  a  couple  of  hours'  delay  in  getting  the 
carriers,  we  started  from  IMazamboni's  at  about  8.30  a.m.,  and 
marched  about  eight  miles  over  undulating  fertile  plains, 
covered  with  a  long,  coarse  cane-grass  ;  there  are  not  a  sufiicient 
number  of  cattle  in  the  country  to  eat  the  grass.  The  cattle  are 
somewhat  smaller  than  English  cattle,  and  are  of  the  various 
colours  which  we  see  among  our  own  at  home.  They  have 
a  moderate  hump  developed  above  the  shoulders.  We  camped 
at  Mpinga's  village,  who  sent  us  matammah  meal,  sweet 
potatoes,  a  blind  goat,  a  kid,  and  a  calf;  but  as  all  these  articles 
were  of  bad  quality,  and  but  small  in  quantity,  we  declined  to 
accept  the  gift. 


(     373     ) 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

LIFE   AT   KAYALLI   CAMP. 

Meeting  witli  Emin  Pasha  and  his  officers  at  Kavalli's — Ferida,  the  Pasha's 
daughter — Chief  Kavalli's  handsome  appearance — The  Wahuma  are  the 
finest  people  we  have  seen  in  Africa — Their  dogs  of  the  pariah  type  — 
Their  liking  for  bangles  and  other  ornaments — Bonny  brings  false  news 
of  the  capture  of  Ka'tonza's  village  by  Kabba  Rega — Enormous  baggage 
of  Emiu's  followers — Physique  and  appearance  of  his  officers — Miima 
commits  suicide  in  his  hut  from  despondency — Our  water  reservoirs 
in  case  of  fire — We  have  our  suspicions  of  treachery  among  Emin's  peoi-lc 
in  the  camiD — The  roll-call — Successful  raid  against  a  hostile  chief— I 
dine  with  Emin  Pasha — An  epidemic  of  diarrhoea — Nelson  and  others- 
ill  with  fever — The  Zanzibaris  wash  themselves  in  local  still-pools — Mr. 
Stanley  ascertains  the  altitude  of  our  camp — Fever  more  prevalent  here 
than  in  the  damp  forest— Useless  baggage- A  case  of  typhoid  fever— 

;  Deaths  at  Yambuya  mainly  attributed  to  the  injudicious  use  of  manioc— 
The  two  kinds  of  manioc  in  African  regions — Illness  of  Mr.  Stanley — I 
escort  a  party  of  carriers  to  Emin's  Lake  Shore  Camp — Thorny  mimosa 
'trashes— The  return  journey  with  baggage— Sensitiveness  of  the  Pasha 
regarding  his  people — Ref.isal  of  the  men  to  fetch  any  more  baggagj 
from  the  Lake— Mr.  St.inley  calls  a  parade  and  makes  examples  of  the 
ringleaders  of  the  mutiny — Emin's  early  experiences  at  Constantinople — 
His  Excellency  cannot  make  np  his  mind  as  to  leaving  Equatoria— Sick- 
ness caused  throu2;h  drinking  stagnant  water — My  experiences  of  the- 
quality  and  quantity  of  water  in  Equatorial  Africa — Division  of  water- 
supply  into  current  and  stationary  waters — Rain-water  as  a  drink  to  be 
used  Vith  caution — The  qualities  and  components  of  the  waters  of 
streams  and  rivers — Modification  of  climate  in  the  neighbourhood  of  largo 
rivers — Impurity  of  streams  with  slow  currents — Stagnant  waters  of 
pools  and  marshes  have  special  opportunities  of  developing  impurities^ 
Hassan  Bakari  attempts  to  shoot  himself — Improvement  in  all  our  condi- 
tions—Audacity of  kites — Wooden  disc  inserted  in  the  upper  lips  of  the 
native  women — The  Pasha  a  very  keen  collector — The  manufacture  of 
"  poteen  "-like  spirit  by  his  people — Applications  to  me  for  advice  and 
medicine— Irritating  delay:  April  10  fixed  for  starting  to  the  Coast — 
Capture  of  cattle  belonging  to  a  hostile  tribe— Coffee  and  cigarettes  with 
the  Pasha — Some  eccentricities  of  General  Gordon  related  by  him — I 
remove  another  arrow-head  from  Fathel  Mullah — People  with  enlarged 
spleens  fever-proof  in  Africa. 

Feb.  18. — We  started  early,  and,  after  a  march  of  about 
eight  miles,  reached  Kavalli's,  where  we  were  received  by 
Mr.  Stanley,  with  Emin  Pasha,  and  six  or  seven  of  his  officers. 
One  of  the  latter  was  a  great,  corpulent  individual,  weighing 


o74     '      EXFERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AEBICA.  [1889. 

about  twenty  stone,  and  a  leader  of  the  rebels.  The  Pasha 
now  told  us  that  he  had  not  wished  or  intended  to  come  out, 
till  the  mutiny  had  occurred.  Jephson  is  looking  well ;  he 
suffered  very  little  from  fever  during  his  stay  with  the  Pasha. 
Casati  was  there ;  also  Vita  Hassan,  the  Tunisian  apothecary  ; 
the  Greek  merchant,  Marco  ;  and  the  Pasha's  little  daughter 
Ferida  (about  eight  years  old),  whose  mother  (an  Abyssinian) 
had  died  a  few  years  ago.  The  Pasha  seems  very  mucb 
attached  to  his  daughter,  who  is  of  an  olive  complexion,  wdth 
beautiful  dark  eyes,  eyebrows,  and  eye-lashes.  She  is 
constantly  running  about  Avithout  boots,  although  she  is 
plentifully  provided  with  garments  of  all  kinds.  Her  great 
delight  ajipears  to  be  in  catching  beetles  for  her  father. 
Vita  Hassan  appears  to  be  the  Pasha's  right-hand  man.  All 
the  Pasha's  officers  are  dressed  in  spotless  white  uniforms, 
most  of  them  have  brass  buttons  with  the  Egyptian  crescent 
and  star ;  but  in  many  cases  they  have  ingeniously  cut  the 
shells  of  the  Lake-shore  into  pearl-like  buttons  of  circular  form. 

In  a  day  or  two  the  Pasha's  people  are  to  commence  their 
ascent  from  the  Lake-shore  to  this  camp,  which  is  distant  about 
eighteen  miles,  and  situated  on  a  plateau  about  2000  feet  in 
elevation  above  the  waters  of  the  Nyanza. 

All  our  men  came  around  us,  and  gave  us  their  salaams. 
iSome  meat  was  killed  for  our  caravan.  This  is  a  fine  open 
•country;  our  camp  is  on  an  elevation  situated  close  to  the 
residence  of  Kavalli,  who  is  the  head  chief  of  the  country,  and 
is  a  fine-looking  specimen  of  the  Wahuma.  He  is  really  very 
handsome,  with  high  forehead,  thin  aquiline  nose,  thin  lips — 
the  latter  adorned  with  a  constant  smile  of  a  rather  cunning, 
"  l)larney  "  type — and  fine  brown  eyes.  He  continually  smokes 
a  large  pipe,  which  was  generally  handed  around  when  a  few 
people  collected  about  him.  His  clothing  is  of  the  same  stylo 
and  texture  as  that  of  his  people,  viz.,  a  beautifully  prepared, 
soft,  pliable,  glossy  skin  (goat  or  antelope),  the  hind  legs  are 
tied  over  the  wearer's  shoulders.  It  would  make  a  splendid 
''  drag."  Without  i)reparation  these  skins  have  a  characteristic 
(offensive)  smell.  All  these  people  belong  to  the  Wahuma 
tribe,  which  is  probably  of  Asiatic  origin  ;  they  are  by  far  the 
finest  people  we  have  seen  in  Africa.  They  are  all  herdsmen, 
and  despise  the  tillers  of  the  soil ;  the  inverse  episode  of  Cain 
and  Abel  might  be  enacted  here  any  day.     Each  carries  a  stick, 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  KAVALLI  CAMP.  375 

about  eight  or  ten  feet  in  length,  which  he  holds  upright, 
grasjDing  it  with  the  right  hand  on  a  level  with  his  shoulder, 
and  is  generally  followed  by  a  dog  of  the  pariah  type,  with 
short  hair,  turned-up  tail,  and,  occasionally,  drooping  ears. 
All  the  dogs  we  met  in  the  forest  had  erect,  pointed  ears. 
Some  of  the  dogs  here  are  not  unlike  an  inferior  class  of 
greyhound,  and  all  of  them  are  valued  by  the  people  in  direct 
proportion  to  their  usefulness  in  herding  the  cattle,  although 
I  have  never  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing  them  used  in  this 
way  at  all.  These  Wahuma  do  not  scar  themselves  in  the 
hideous  fashion  of  the  denizens  of  the  forest,  but  are  very 
fond  of  wearing  bangles  (of  ivory  or  iron)  on  their  wrists  and 
ankles ;  they  also  wear  some  made  from  brass  rods,  and 
necklaces  made  of  cowries  and  beads :  a  fashion  which  goes  to 
show  that  traders  have  been  to  Uganda  and  Unyoro,  through 
which  medium  these  articles  have  found  their  way  here. 

Feb.  19. — Bonny  and  100  carriers  started  off,  to  carry  some 
loads,  and  fetch  the  Pasha's  people.  During  the  night,  a  fire 
occurred  in  one  of  the  huts,  which  destroyed  a  couple  of  rifles, 
burnt  some  clothes,  and  scorched  one  man's  hands  severely. 

Feb.  20. — A  letter  arrived  from  Bonny  and  Casati,  saying 
that  Kabba  Eega's  warriors  had  captured  a  village  (Katonza's) 
two  hours  distant,  and  were  then  marching  on  their  camp  in 
strong  force.  Bonny  had  refused  to  remain,  but  said  that  he 
would  escort  up  all  the  people,  and  bury  their  loads  for  safety. 
Only  Marco,  three  soldiers,  and ,  a  few  women  arrived  here — 
with  150  loads.  It  is  preposterous  to  see  the  amount  of 
baggage  which  these  people  want  to  transport,  both  for  them- 
selves and  their  enormous  number  of  slaves.  Each  servant 
has  three,  four,  or  five  loads,  and  we  officers  of  the  E.  P.  K. 
Expedition  have  had  only  three  to  cross  Africa  with. 

On  receipt  of  tlie  news,  Emin  Pasha  and  Nelson  immediately 
started  for  the  Lake ;  with  about  sixty  Zanzibaris,  and  about 
twenty  native  carriers.  Every  one  of  our  Zanzibaris  carries  a 
Eemington  rifle,  which  he  now  knows  how  to  use,  as  he  has 
had  some  experience  of  practising  with  it  for  over  a  year 
and  a  half :  so  that  they  are  useful  now,  not  only  as  carriers, 
but  as  soldiers. 

Feb.  21. — Bonny  arrived  with  Marco,  and  an  extraordinary 
collection  of  loads,  most  of  them  being  done  up  in  skins  and 
mats. 


376  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [188a. 

The  Paslia  says  that  each  of  his  people  can,  at  a  single 
sitting,  drink  one  or  two  quart  bottles  of  a  clear-coloured,, 
intoxicating  liquor,  distilled  from  corn — somewhat  after  the 
manner,  although  not  quite  of  the  quality,  of  our  Irish  j^oteeii  at 
home.  The  physique  of  his  officers  entirely  corroborates  thi& 
statement;  some  of  them  can  be  impartially  described  as- 
licentious,  indolent,  over-fed,  bloated,  congested  masses  of 
human  flesh.  I  never  saw  a  more  loathsome  set  of  wretches. 
in  my  life  ;  and  the  Egyptian  officials  are  mostly  convicts — I 
have  already  been  shown  a  couple  of  murderers,  &c. 

Feb.  22. — Mrima,  a  man  who  had  been  suffering  from  as 
bad  ulcer  of  the  foot,  committed  suicide  in  a  hut  to-day  ;  in 
the  orthodox  fashion  :  by  pulling  with  his  toe  the  trigger  of  a 
Remington  rifle,  the  muzzle  of  which  he  had  placed  against 
his  abdomen.  The  shirt  which  covered  the  latter  was  scorched 
by  the  powder.  The  bullet  penetrated  the  abdominal  wall,  a 
little  above,  and  to  the  left  side  of,  the  umbilicus ;  and  had 
escaped  a  little  to  the  left  side  of  the  lumbar  spine.  It  had 
penetrated  the  aorta,  and  fractured  the  vertebral  column.  The 
amount  of  haemorrhage  was,  of  course,  enormous,  and  death 
practically  instantaneous.  The  suicide  was  the  result  of  des- 
pondency, as  the  state  of  his  foot  j)revented  him  from  moving 
about  with  his  comrades,  who  were  now  enjoying  themselves- 
in  the  midst  of  plenty.  The  ulceration  of  his  foot  had  been 
very  rapid  and  destructive.  He  had  had  some  meat,  potatoes,, 
and  medicine  at  9.30  a.m.,  when  he  seemed  to  be  in  good  spirits.. 
He  shot  himself  at  11.30,  in  another  man's  hut.  Some  of  us 
had  heard  the  report ;  but,  being  within  doors,  the  noise  did 
not  seem  loud  enough  for  the  discharge  of  a  rifle.  As  is 
always  the  case  when  anything  untisual  happens,  the  men  at 
once  came  and  told  Mr.  Stanley.  They  informed  him  that 
the  man  had  died ;  but  when  I  was  sent  by  Mr.  Stanley 
to  see  him,  I  found  that  it  was  suicide.  He  had  asked  foF 
some  2^ombe  shortly  before,  so  that  it  is  likely  that  he  was 
under  the  influence  of  this  liquor  at  the  time,  which  always 
makes  the  men  very  excitable  and  rash,  although  it  Ls  not 
very  intoxicating. 

I  had  the  huts  thrown  down,  aiid  burnt,  for  fear  of  contagion. 
A  few  days  ago,  a  large  sink  was  converted  into  a  reservoir 
for  water  ;  to  be  utilised  in  case  of  fire.  When  the  })it 
was   disturbed   in   the   preparation,   each   of  the   seven   men, 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  KAVALLl    CAMP.  377 

who  had  worked  at  it  got  fever,  but  they  have  now  all  re- 
covered. 

Feb.  23. — All  our  men  are  hard  at  work  every  day,  building 
huts  for  our  expected  guests  from  the  Lake-shore.  Nelson 
wrote  last  night  to  say  that  all  was  well  at  the  Lake ;  the 
Kabba  Rega  attack  had  all  been  a  false  alarm. 

Feb.  24-28. — The  Pasha  returned  from  the  Lake  to-day 
(28th)  with  a  vast  number  of  loads.  The  steamers  returned  a  day 
or  two  ago  from  Mswa,  with  a  great  number  of  loads ;  also  a 
number  of  women  and  children.  On  discharging  their  cargo, 
they  were  immediately  dispatched  back  to  Wadelai  with  the 
officers,  who  returned  for  their  wives ;  and  a  letter  from  Mr. 
Stanley,  saying  that  each  man  was  to  provide  carriers,  and 
that  unless  they  came  immediately  he  could  not  wait  for  them. 

Mae.  1.— a  somewhat  sensational  incident  occurred  last 
night.  Two  of  the  Zanzibaris  overheard  the  Pasha's  soldiers 
and  our  Nubians  engaged  in  confidential  conversation.  The 
former  said  :  "  Do  you  think  these  people  " — i.e.  ourselves  and 
the  Zanzibaris — "  would  run  if  we  seized  their  boxes  ?  "  Our 
Nubians  replied  in  the  affirmative.  During  the  night,  a  rifle 
belonging  to  one  of  our  men  was  stolen  by  the  Pasha's  people 
at  th?  Lake.  These  incidents  combine  to  prove  our  suspicions 
of  treachery.  Night  patrols  are  now  posted  to  watch  the  camp 
carefully,  as  the  Pasha's  people  were  observed  to  collect  in 
organised  clusters  after  sunset,  and  engage  in  close  whispering 
conversation. 

Mar.  2.—  .... 

Mar.  3. — The  roll  call  now  musters  200  Zanzibaris,  21 
Mahdis,  21  Nubians,  7  whites,  and  about  250  Manyuema. 
Stairs  went  to  the  Lake,  the  day  before  yesterday,  with  a  large 
party  of  carriers  for  loads  ;  to-day,  a  force  of  10  Zanzibaris, 
2  Nubians,  and  70  of  Kavalli's  natives,  went  to  the  Lake  to 
bring  up  more  loads — with  the  women  and  children,  as  the 
natives  on  the  lower  plain  are  rather  hostile.  The  ruga-ruga 
got  between  120  and  130  head  of  cattle  a  few  days  ago,  from  a 
hostile  chief.  As  Mr.  Stanley  knows  so  well  how  to  manage 
these  people,  the  result  of  this  raid  was  that  the  owner  came  to 
our  camp ;  and,  after  a  conference  of  some  time,  arranged  with 
our  leader  that  for  every  five  loads  which  he  brought  from  the 
Lake,  one  of  his  animals  should  be  returned  to  him.  In  this 
way  he  has  the  chance  of  redeeming  his  entire  stock.     None 


378  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQVATOIUAL   AFIilCA.  [1889. 

of  liis  people  have,  however,  as  yet  come  in  to  fulfil  his  part  of 
the  contract.  It  is  amusing  to  see  our  men  endeavouring  to 
get  milk  from  the  cows,  as  these  animals  appear  to  have 
complete  control  over  their  lacteal  organs. 

The  Pasha's  little  daughter  is  with  him.  He  told  me  that 
he  is  the  son  of  a  merchant,  and  that  his  parents  died  when  he 
was  young.  His  friends  then  took  him  in  charge,  and  he  was 
allowed  £5  monthly  to  live  on,  during  his  university  course. 
He  is  very  hospitable  and  good-natured.  I  dined  with  him 
last  night.  He  has  always  three  or  four  courses  at  dinner, 
although  he  himself  eats  very  little.  His  table  is  always 
covered  with  a  white  table-cloth :  clean,  but  much  worn,  and 
showing  a  great  many  perforations.     His  valet,  Surur,  waits. 

Stairs  arrived  from  the  Lake  to-day  with  a  number  of  loads ; 
some  of  these  were  food,  but  the  rest  were  mere  rubbish. 

There  is  an  epidemic  of  diarrhoea  in  the  camp  at  present. 
I  suspect  that  it  is  due  to  the  sesame  oil  imported  here  by  the 
Pasha's  people.  This  is  extracted  from  the  sesame  seed  by  a 
process  quite  similar  to  the  one  employed  in  preparing  castor 
oil. 

Nelson  is  down  with  fever,  accompanied  by  violent  vomiting 
and  retching.  His  temperature,  at  noon,  was  102°  F.  I  at 
first  thought  that  the  unaccustomed  daily  supply  of  good  meat 
might  be  the  cause  of  the  general  disturbance  of  the  digestive 
system  from  which  the  men  were  suffering.  To-day,  however, 
I  discovered  a  new  source  of  the  irritative  poison  ;  and,  certainly, 
the  true  one.  There  are  a  number  of .  still  pools  in  the 
neighbourhood  in  which  the  Zanzibaris,  &c.,  wash  their  bodies, 
including  the  ulcers ;  and,  as  they  think  the  river  too  far  off, 
they  also  draw  drinking-water  upon  occasion  from  the  same 
reservoirs,  to  save  them  the  trouble  of  AAalking  to  the  river. 
Mr.  Stanley  and  Jephson  have  found  a  good  water-supply^  a 
little  over  half  a  mile  to  the  south-west  side  of  the  camp. 
This  is  a  stream  of  pure  running  water  from  the  hills,  of 
excellent  taste  and  quality.  Sentries  have  now  been  posted 
to  keep  people  away  from  the  standing  pools.  I  distribute 
about  twenty-five  cups  of  fresh  milk  to  the  sick,  both  morning 
and  evening. 

Mar.  4. — Mr.  Stanley  boiled  liis  thermometer  to-day,  to 
ascertain  the  altitude  of  this  place.  The  position  of  the  camp 
(at  Kavalli's  residence)  is  4800  feet   above    sea-level.     The 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  KAVALLI  CAMF.  379 

Lake  is,  I  believe,  2500.  Both,  natives  and  ourselves  suffer 
frequently  here  from  severe  attacks  of  fever.  Both  the 
Zauzibaris  and  the  natives  say  that  the  cause  of  the  fever  is 
their  going  down  to  the  Lake-shore.  When  they  go  there  for 
the  loads,  they  develop  the  feverish  symjDtoms  at  once  on  their 
arrival.  On  the  other  hand,  Emin  Pasha's  people,  who  rarely 
have  had  fever  in  his  province,  have  suffered  much  from  it 
since  they  came  here.  Mr.  Stanley  had  fever  yesterday.  It  is 
strange  that  here,  on  the  dry  plain,  we  should  suffer  more  from 
fever  than  we  ever  did  in  the  damp  forest.  He  is  much  better 
to-day.  Yesterday,  the  Pasha  received  a  letter  from  his 
commandant  at  the  Lake,  to  say  that  five  of  his  soldiers,  who 
had  been  there,  had  run  away.  I  fear  that  if  the  Pasha's  people 
come  out,  they  will  be  a  great  source  of  trouble  and  real 
danger  to  us.  Over  600  loads  have  already  been  brought  up 
from  the  Lake  for  them,  most  of  which  are  useless  bedsteads, 
chairs,  boxes,  grinding-stones,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  which  it  will  be 
absolutely  impossible  to  carry  away  from  here.  The  distance 
to  the  Lake  is  about  eighteen  miles,  including  a  very  steep 
ascent  of  about  2500  feet,  which  takes  it  out  of  our  carriers 
pretty  considerably. 

Mae.  5. — One  of  the  Manyuema  died  here  this  morning 
of  fever ;  it  was  of  a  distinctly  typhoid  type.  The  Manyuema 
are  very  negligent  of  their  sick.  Yesterday  I  found  this  man 
in  a  delirious  state  creeping  through  the  grass  at  some  distance 
from  the  camp. 

We  have  been  discussing  the  large  number  of  deaths  which 
occurred  at  Yambuya ;  and  are  disposed  to  attribute  the 
greater  proportion  to  the  injudicious  use  of  manioc;  together 
with  want  of  exercise,  want  of  work  with  some  object,  and  the 
mental  depression  produced  by  their  extremely  monotonous 
and  distasteful  surroundings,  acting  on  individuals  whose 
systems  were  also  lowered  by  want  of  meat :  these  factors  are 
quite  sufficient  to  explain  the  terrible  mortality. 

Emin  Pasha  tells  me  that  he  has  known  of  deaths  from 
manioc  (cassava)  in  his  province.  There  are  two  kinds  of 
manioc  in  these  African  regions — the  poisonous  and  the  non- 
poisonous.  Both  have  palmate  leaves ;  but  they  are  dis- 
tinguishable by  the  narrower  and  smaller  leaf,  as  well  as  the 
fibrous  root,  of  the  poisonous  variety.  The  root  of  the  latter 
when  prepared  is,  accordingly,  less  floury  than  that  of  the 


380  EXPEraENCES  in  equatorial   AFRICA.         [1889. 

edible  specimen.  I  certainly  did  find  the  root  of  the  manioc 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Yambuya  of  a  distinctly  fibrous 
texture  ;  but  not  very  different  in  any  of  its  other  characteristics 
from  that  of  the  Congo  (or  elsewhere),  Avhich  had  been  used  with 
impunity.  The  poisonous  action  of  the  injurious  form  is  very 
slow.  The  men  who  have  returned  from  Yambuya  are  very 
thin,  with  very  unhealthy-looking,  sallow  skins.  They  do  not 
put  on  flesh  quickly  like  the  others.  They  are  also  very 
despondent,  and  greatly  subject  to  extensive  ulceration. 

Mr.  Stanley  had  a  bad  day  yesterday ;  also  a  bad  night  last 
night.  He  is,  however,  much  better  to-day.  We  send  a 
fatigue-party  for  water  every  day,  to  a  distance  of  about  one 
mile. 

]\1ae.  6. — Mr,  Stanley's  temperature  was  10J:'-i°  F.  on 
yesterday  afternoon.     He  is  much  better  to-day. 

Mar.  7. — I  was  sent  down  to  the  Nyanza  to-day,  with  fifty- 
one  Zanzibaris  and  nineteen  Manyuema.  We  started  very 
early,  and  reached  the  Lake  plain,  at  the  bottom  of  the  pre- 
cipitous hill  which  separates  our  camp  from  it,  about  11  a.m. 
The  march  is  a  pretty  stiff  one,  so  we  rested  there  till  2.30  p.m. 
The  hill,  down  which  we  had  climbed  from  our  camp,  is  2300 
to  2500  feet  in  height.  We  enjoyed  the  rest  under  the 
beautiful  shade  afforded  by  the  huge  tamarind  trees,  which 
grow  luxuriantly  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  for  some  distance 
into  the  plain.  We  reached  the  Pasha's  encampment,  on  the 
Lake-shore,  about  4.30  p.m.  We  walked  very  quickly ;  and,  a& 
the  day  was  extremely  hot,  many  of  the  men  got  their  feet 
severely  blistered.  It  is  necessary  to  wear  sandals  on  this 
lower  plain,  on  account  of  the  great  abundance  of  the  thorny 
mimosa  bushes,  which  are  thickly  distributed  over  the  surface 
of  the  ground  here.  I  had  some  talk  with  the  Pasha's  people,^ 
and  then  settled  down  for  the  night. 

Mar.  8. — We  left  camp  early  :  having  previously  expended 
a  vast  deal  of  talk,  in  trying  to  persuade  these  people  that  my 
men  were  unable  to  carry  loads  of  more  than  100  lbs.  each  up 
to  our  camp  on  the  plateau  above.  Every  individual  in  the 
Pasha's  camp,  even  the  servants,  have  several  loads  to  be  trans- 
ported for  him  (or  her).  We  reached  the  river  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill  at  10.30  a.m.  ;  some  of  the  sore-footed  members  of  the 
party  did  not  overtake  us  till  2  p.m.  We  all  then  waited  till 
3  o'clock,  when  we  proceeded  to  climb  the  hill.     We  had  got 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  RAVALLI  CAMP.  ^381 

about  half- way  up  its  side  by  dark.  Thirty  of  the  natives,  who 
had  descended  the  hill  during  the  night  to  help  us  in  the 
transport  of  the  loads,  returned  with  us.  A  beautifully  cool 
and  crystal  stream  zigzagged  down  the  slope,  and  we  composed 
ourselves  for  the  night  on  the  grass  beside  its  bank ;  as  we  had 
neither  wood  of  any  kind,  nor  long  grass,  of  which  we  could 
attempt  to  construct  even  the  most  elementary  form  of  hut. 

Mar.  9. — We  marched  at  daybreak,  and  reached  our  camp 
at  Kavalli's  by  10.30  a.m.  The  rear  of  our  column  did  not  get 
into  camp  for  several  hours  after.  Half  the  loads  were  simply 
rubbish,  and  I  am  really  surprised  that  Mr.  Stanley  allows 
this  kind  of  thing  to  go  on ;  it  actually  went  to  my  heart  to 
load  our  men,  who  have  already  endured  so  many  indispensable 
hardships,  with  such  enormous  loads  of  rubbishy  articles,  and 
all  for  so  contemptible  a  people,  who  do  not  seem  disposed  to 
lift  a  hand  to  assist  themselves.  My  feet  were  blistered  and 
very  sore  after  the  march. 

I  dined  with  the  Pasha.  He  is  extremely  sensitive  to  any 
remarks  made  about  either  himself  or  his  people ;  I  believe 
that  this  fact  accounts  for  our  leader's  tolerance  in  sacrificing 
his  men  to  the  wishes  of  these  people. 

Mar.  10. — Much  earlier  than  usual  this  morning,  the  men 
fell  in  with  their  rifles,  and  absolutely  refused  to  go  to  the 
Nyanza  for  any  more  loads.  I  must  say  that  the  movement 
was  not  to  be  wondered  at ;  but  Mr.  Stanley  was,  of  course, 
obliged  to  treat  it  as  a  mutiny.  Nelson  had  been  sent  off 
with  forty  or  fifty  Zanzibaris,  thirteen  Manyuema,  and  twelve 
Nubians,  to  the  Pasha's  camp  at  the  Lake,  to  fetch  more  loads. 
In  about  half  an  hour,  the  whole  party  returned  ;  having  refused 
to  go  to  the  Lake.  Nelson  went  at  once  to  Mr.  Stanley,  and 
reported  the  matter  to  him;  the  latter  was  at  once  "  Bula 
Matari  to-day,"  knit  his  eyebrows,  started  up  without  delay, 
buckled  on  his  revolver,  took  his  rifle,  went  outside  his  tent, 
and  blew  his  whistle,  which  is  the  signal  for  all  the  companies 
to  fall  in  immediately  in  front  of  their  officers.  The  men  came 
flying  on  parade,  from  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  camp  ;  with 
bandoleer  in  one  hand,  and  rifle  in  the  other ;  and,  within  three 
minutes,  every  man  was  in  his  place :  a  wonderful  instance  of 
the  extraordinary  influence  which  Mr.  Stanley  exercises  over  the 
men,  and  of  the  respect  and  confidence  with  which  they  in- 
variablv  treat  him.     He  then  ordered  the  mutineers  to  ground 


382  EXPERIENCED  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

arms  and  bandoleers,  and  marcli  three  paces  to  the  front ;  when 
a  party  was  directed  to  collect  the  rifles  and  belts.  The  ring- 
leaders were  punished  individually,  and  placed  under  a  guard  ; 
the  others  were  sent  on  to  the  Lake  with  Nelson  for  the  loads 
— unarmed,  and  under  a  Nubian  escort.  The  culprits  were 
flogged  with  the  hurbash  by  Umari,  the  Nubian  serjeant- 
major.  (The  kurbash  is  a  common  piece  of  furniture  among 
the  Pasha's  people,  and  is  made  from  hippo  or  rhinoceros 
hide.)  Had  it  not  been  for  this  extremely  prompt  and  decisive 
action,  the  mutiny  might — indeed,  almost  certainly  would 
— have  developed  into  something  extremely  serious. 

The  Pasha  has  a  very  bad  leg  at  present — an  anthracoid 
inflammation  of  the  skin  and  subcutaneous  tissue.  I  am 
giving  him  plenty  of  advice,  but  very  little  medicine,  as  our 
supply  is  so  scanty. 

Mar.  13. — The  Pasha  told  me  that  he  had  been  obliged  to 
leave  Constantinople  because  he  was  one  of  a  party  who  wrote 
very  strong  articles  in  a  certain  newspaper,  to  the  support  of 
which  Midhat  Pasha  contributed  a  thousand  a  year.  Emin  had 
been  in  the  medical  staff  of  the  Turkish  army,  and  had  been 
specially  promoted  to  a  Majority  for  distinguished  conduct  on 
the  battle-field.  After  running  away  from  Constantinople,  he 
entered  the  Egyptian  service,  and  was  sent  up  to  the  Soudan. 

My  experience  of  this  region  of  the  world  has  demonstrated 
to  me  that  too  much  importance  cannot  be  attached  to  the 
fact  that  every  one,  black  or  white,  who  stands  in  a  draught, 
for  even  an  extremely  short  time,  is  sure  to  have  an  attack 
of  fever  directly  afterwards.  I  had  myself  an  attack  of  fever 
yesterday  ;  but  this  was  brought  on  by  standing  in  the  sun,  for 
about  ten  minutes,  with  a  small  hat  on. 

I  can  foresee  that  there  will  be  some  unpleasantness  between 
the  Pasha  and  the  Expedition,  for  Jephson,  who  knows  him,- 
dictates  to  him,  and  reminds  him  of  how  he  had  to  fly  for 
his  life,  which  is  naturally  a  sore  point,  although  true ;  how 
his  orders  were  disobeyed,  &c.,  &c.  This  annoys  the  Pasha,, 
but  his  extreme  politeness  will  not  allow  him  to  check  us. 
When  he  is  reminded  of  all  the  suffering  we  endured  in 
coming  here  with  relief  to  him,  what  comforts  we  left  behind 
to  rescue  him,  &c.,  &c.,  the  Pasha  replies  that  he  does  not 
wish  to  bo  reminded,  as  Jephson  has  told  him  so ;  but  some 
such  gentle  persuasion  is  necessary,  as   both    ourselves   and 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  RAVALLI  CAMP.  383 

our  men  are  tired  of  toiling  and  waiting  for  His  Excellency 
to  make  up  his  mind. 

Nelson  returned  to  the  Lake  yesterday,  and  Stairs  proceeded 
for  some  loads  to  the  Lake  to-day. 

Mae.  14,  15.—  .... 

Mar.  16. — Mr.  Stanley  went  off  this  morning  to  the  hills  on 
the  west  side  of  the  camp,  about  four  miles  off;  they  are 
occupied  by  the  Balegga,  who  are  hostile  to  the  Wahuma 
on  the  plains.  He  returned  about  10  a.m.  He  was  accom- 
panied by  Jephson.  They  crossed  the  bed  of  a  stream,  which 
was  dammed  up  in  places,  forming  reservoirs ;  the  water  from 
which  had  been  utilised  by  the  Zanzibaris  for  washing  and 
cooking  purposes.  As  the  water  in  these  little  reservoirs  was, 
of  course,  not  very  pure,  the  men  had  been  ordered  to  go  a 
few  hundred  yards  further  on,  and  always  fetch  their  water 
for  drinking  and  cooking  from  a  running  stream,  of  much 
larger  size,  and  better-looking  water.  To  avoid  all  risk  of 
contamination,  and  make  assurance  doubly  sure,  the  drinkino- 
water  for  the  officers  was  fetched  from  a  stream  about  a  mile 
off.  Mr.  Stanley  and  Jephson  now  suggested  that  it  was  the 
same  stream,  and  that  we  had  all  along  been  drinking  the 
same  water  that  our  men  had  been  washing  and  bathing  in, 
and  which  was  habitually  used  by  the  Zanzibaris  for  their 
well-known  religious  ceremony.  On  examining  the  course  of 
the  stream,  we  found,  sure  enough,  that  their  unpleasant  sur- 
mise was  a  perfectly  correct  one.  An  order  was,  accordingly, 
issued  that  in  future  all  our  water  was  to  be  drawn  from  a  place 
in  the  stream  at  a  good  distance  above  the  place  where  the 
men  washed.  I  walked  around  all  these  streams  now,  as  I  was 
very  anxious  to  satisfy  myself  about  their  bearings,  the  whites 
and  a  few  of  the  Zanzibaris  having  all  been  recently  ill  with 
the  same  symptoms.  We  had  all  been  on  the  look-out  for 
the  cause  of  this  outbreak ;  some  suspected  the  beans,  others 
had  accused  the  good  living,  but  there  is  no  longer  any  doubt 
now  that  the  real  cause  was  in  the  water.  There  were  many 
holes  and  pools  with  stagnant  water,  where  the  men  washed, 
and  from  which  they  also  drew  their  drinking-water;  when 
this  procedure  was  put  a  stop  to,  the  sickness  at  once  ceased. 

My  present  experience,  now  a  prolonged  and  varied  one,  as 
Curator  aquarum  in  Equatorial  Africa,  may  indeed  have 
blunted  my   fastidiousness   of  taste,   but   has  never   in   the 


384  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

slightest  degree  diminislied  my  appreciation  of  the  vital 
importance  of  attention  to  the  quality  (and,  of  course, 
quantity)  of  water  to  be  used  by  the  tropical  explorer.  In 
crossing  this  continent  there  certainly  is  ample  opportunity 
for  observing  endless  varieties  of  this  all-important  fluid,  and 
I  have  often  regretted  that  my  time  and  appliances  cannot 
permit  me  to  examine  all  its  modifications  as  thoroughly  as  I 
could  wish. 

The  dogmatic  teaching  of  Celsus,  although  admitting  of 
many  exceptions,  still  forms  a  concise  text  from  which  the 
properties  of  drinking  water  may  be  discussed  at  length.  He 
says :  '•'  Aqua  levissima  ijluvialis  est,  deinde  fontana,  turn  ex 
jiumine,  turn  ex  i^uteo,  imst  hoc  ex  nive  aut  gJacie,  gravior  his  ex 
lacu,  gravissima  ex  jicdude."  The  sources  of  our  water  supply 
may  be  conveniently  divided  into  the  two  great  ones  of  current 
and  stationary  (or  stagnant)  waters. 

I,  Current  (running)  waters  may  be  considered  under  the 
following  heads  : — 

1.  Eain  water. 

2.  Distilled  water. 

3.  Water  of  springs  and  of  artesian  wells. 

4.  Water  of  streams,  rivers,  and  canals. 

5.  Mountain  waters;  derived  from  the  melting  of  snow  or 
glaciers,  torrents,  mountain  lakes. 

II,  Stationary  (stagnant)  waters  include — 
G.  Wells. 

7.  Pools  and  marshes. 

8.  Mineral  waters. 

Of  the  above-named  classes  those  which  are  most  interesting 
in  the  present  connection  are  the  first,  fourth,  and  seventh. 

Rain  Avater,  although  popularly  looked  upon  in  all  ages  of 
the  world  as  almost  symbolical  of  purity,  has  been  condemned 
by  medical  writers,  even  from  the  time  of  Hippocrates,  as  a 
reliable  source  of  drinking  supply.  The  observant  "  Father  of 
Medicine "  says,  "  Of  all  waters  those  which  decompose  the 
most  rapidly  are  rain  waters  ;  of  all  waters  they  are  the  most 
mingled  [with  impurities],  and  this  mixture  accelerates  de- 
composition." Zimmerman,  the  celebrated  physician  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  praises  the  lightness  (legerete)  of  rain- 
water, but  goes  on  to  remark,  "It  quickly  decomposes  on 
account  of  the  presence  of  the  eggs  of  insects,  with  which  the 


1889.  LIFE  AT  KAVALLI   CAMP.  385 

air  is  always  filled ;  that  is  why  it  is  not  used  on  board  ships. 
It  becomes  still  worse  when  it  has  been  kept  in  cisterns." 
Medical  writers  of  the  last  century  generally  admitted  that 
rain-water  was  easy  of  digestion,  but  pointed  out  that  the 
water  of  winter  and  spring  should  be  preferred ;  because,  during 
summer  and  autumn,  the  water,  in  passing  through  the  atmo- 
sphere, always  became  charged  with  the  exhalations  which  were 
therein  suspended.  And  so  the  shrewd  guesses  of  observers  of 
a  former  age  anticipated  the  scientific  results  of  Paste ar  in 
our  own  days. 

We  now  fully  understand  why  it  is  that  rain-water  requires 
to  be  used  with  caution  as  a  drink ;  containing,  as  it  always 
does,  according  to  the  district,  dust  of  every  variety,  together 
with  its  invisible  contingent  of  moulds  and  bacteria.  The 
rain-water  collected  over  large  towns  is  for  this  reason,  of 
course,  among  the  impurest  sources  of  drinking-water.  The 
importance  of  this  consideration  to  the  inhabitants  of  Venice, 
Cadiz,  and  the  borders  of  the  Ked  Sea — where  no  other  source 
is  available — obviously  cannot  be  over-estimated.  Among 
the  inorganic  compounds  which  present  themselves  in  rain- 
water, ammonia  is  characteristic  of  the  city,  nitrates  of  the 
country — especially  in  hot  climates,  and  after  thunder  storms 
— and  chloride  of  sodium  (common  salt)  of  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  sea.  Traces  of  compounds  of  chlorine,  of  iodine,  of 
lime,  and  of  magnesium,  have  also  been  demonstrated  by 
various  observers.  Of  organic  substances  we  find  among  non- 
living specimens  starch  grains,  pollen  grains,  fragments  of 
hairs,  of  wool,  and  of  feathers,  epidermic  cells,  delris  of 
vegetable  life,  of  diatoms,  of  confervoids,  &c.,  &c.  Of  the 
living  organisms  of  the  atmosphere  which  are  carried  down  by 
rain-water,  the  supply  is  far  more  bewildering.  Leading 
types  of  the  principal  forms  of  bacteria — the  rod-shaped,  the 
ball-shaped,  and  the  corkscrew-shaped — may  be  found  in  a, 
single  drop :  the  rigid-looking  bacillus ;  the  modest,  un- 
obtrusive coccus  ;  the  neatly-coiled  spirillum  ;  sarcinse,  arranged 
in  cubical  bundles ;  and  vibrios,  practising  their  ephemeral 
gymnastics. 

The  qualities  and  components  of  the  waters  of  streams  and 
rivers  vary,  of  course,  almost  without  limit,  according  to  the 
geology,  climate,  flora,  fauna,  &c.,  of  the  surrounding  district, 
and  of  the  sources  from  which  they  are  derived.     The  influence 

2  c 


386  EXFEBIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

of  season  on  the  volume  and  composition  of  the  water  of  a 
river,  is  nowhere  better  exemplified  than  in  the  case  of  the 
Nile.  In  the  case  of  rivers  of  glacier  origin,  the  annual 
melting  of  the  snow  at  (or  near)  the  source  is,  necessarily, 
always  accompanied  by  the  washing  into  the  stream  of 
enormous  quantities  of  detritus — from  the  superimposed 
moraine,  and  the  underlying  glacier  mill — and  this  is  sufficient 
to  give  the  water  an  entirely  new  tint,  to  characterise  it  during 
the  summer  months.  This  is  well  exemplified  in  the  case  of 
our  European  Ehone.  The  influence  of  a  high  temperature 
in  heating  the  waters,  and  in  promoting  the  putrefaction  of 
any  organic  matters  present  is  too  obvious  to  require  any 
special  comment. 

In  the  case  of  very  large  rivers,  such  as  the  Nile  or  the 
CJongo,  the  broad  expanse  of  water  has,  of  course,  the  important 
.additional  function  of  modifying  very  sensibly  the  climate  of 
the  adjoining  part  of  its  basin.  The  temperature  of  the  water  is 
.always  considerably  below  that  of  the  surrounding  air  during 
the  prevalence  of  great  heat ;  when  cold  supervenes,  the  water, 
on  the  other  hand,  will  be  found  to  remain  several  degrees 
warmer  than  the  atmosphere  in  the  vicinity.  Water,  having 
the  highest  calorific  cajaacity  of  any  of  the  constituents  of  the 
■earth's  surface,  warms  up  slowly,  and  slowly  cools.  The 
adjacent  land  having  a  very  much  smaller  specific  heat, 
becomes  rapidly  warmed  under  the  influence  of  a  torrid  sun  ; 
but,  on  the  withdrawal  of  the  latter,  it  very  soon  gives  out  its 
small  stock  of  heat,  by  radiation.  The  heated  layers  of  air 
over  the  warmer  land  expand  and  rise  to  the  higher  regions  of 
the  atmosphere ;  while  the  disturbance  of  equilibrium  so  caused 
produces  a  current  from  the  deliser  strata  over  the  water 
surface,  so  as  to  equalise  the  pressure.  The  reverse  process 
takes  place  during  tlie  chills  of  evening  ;  and  the  atmospheric 
currents,  manufactured  in  this  way,  have  the  resultant  effect  of 
acting  as  a  drag  on  the  climate  of  the  neighbourhood  of  all 
large  expanses  of  \Miter. 

Streams  of  slow  current  have,  of  course,  fuller  opportunities 
of  becoming  contaminated  by  all  the  impurities  which  they 
may  meet  in  their  course ;  and,  accordingly,  this  factor,  apart 
from  all  considerations  of  climate,  is  a  most  important  one  in 
determining  the  degree  of  impurity  of  running  water.  But 
the  most  fertile  source  of  impurity  of  all  streams  is,  necessarily, 


1889.J  LIFE  AT  KAVALLI  CAMP.  387 

tlie  neighbourhood  of  human  habitations.  This  is  as  fully- 
demonstrable  in  the  heart  of  Africa — in  the  vicinity  of  a 
native  village,  or  even  of  one  of  our  own  standing  camps — as 
it  is  in  the  heart  of  London  or  of  Paris. 

The  stagnant  waters  of  pools  and  marshes  have  special 
opportunities  of  develo]3ing  impurities.  During  the  heat  of 
summer,  and,  more  particularly,  during  the  rainfalls  which 
follow  prolonged  warmth,  innumerable  germs  of  bacteria  and 
of  infusoria,  which  are  washed  down  with  the  floating  dust 
from  the  atmosphere  above,  and  with  the  earth  from  the  soil 
around,  grow  and  multiply  in  the  greatest  profusion.  The 
short-lived  beings  thus  called  into  existence  rapidly  pass 
tlirough  their  ephemeral  existence  into  the  stage  of  decom- 
position, and  the  diffusion  of  the  organic  exhalations  thus 
manufactured,  rapidly  dispersed  as  they  are  by  the  expansion 
(•aused  by  the  sun's  heat,  is  undoubtedly  the  great  cause  of 
the  poisoning  of  the  air  above,  as  well  as  of  the  waters  beneath, 
those  tainted  sections  of  the  earth's  surface.  The  spores  of  the 
lowest  forms  of  plant  life  are  always  supplied  by  the  action  of 
the  winds,  and  cryptogamic  products  very  soon  spread  them- 
selves over  the  surface,  which  bye-and-bye  come  to  form  a 
screen,  that  shuts  off  the  bright  sunlight  from  the  deeper 
layers  of  water.  The  low  animal  forms,  which  love  not  the 
light,  revel  in  the  medium  thus  afforded;  and  develop  in 
countless  multitudes.  They  rapidly  die  and  decompose  ;  and 
their  protoplasmic  constituents  soon  come  to  supply,  from  the 
molecular  debris,  a  quantity  of  sulphur  and  phosphorus  for  the 
evolution  of  sulphuretted  and  phosphuretted  hydrogen. 

With  waters  of  this  type  we  have  had  to  deal  during  our 
sojourn  in  the  great  forest.  The  supply  is  not  so  contaminated 
now  :  so  that,  by  the  use  of  reasonable  precautions  we  should  be 
able  to  procure  fairly  good  water  while  we  stay  in  this 
locality. 

One  hundred  and  eight  of  the  natives  went  to  the  Lake  to- 
day for  loads. 

I  forgot  to  mention  in  my  diary  of  a  few  days  ago  that 
Hassan-Bakari  had  attempted  to  shoot  himself;  the  reason  he 
assigned  was  because  I  had  given  him  "twelve"  with  the 
"  kurbash  "  for  disobeying  my  orders,  on  the  day  that  the  men 
had  mutinied.  The  men  were  delirious,  on  account  of  the  hard 
work  imposed  upon  them  in  carrying  so  much  rubbish  from  the 

2  c  2 


388  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOIilAL   AFBICA.  [1889. 

Lake,   and    are    not    now  so   broken-spirited,  as   they   have 
plenty  of  good  food. 

Emin  Pasha  gave  his  hand  to  ]\Ir.  Stanley  last  night,  that 
he  would  be  ready  to  leave  this  place  on  the  10th  of  April  next. 

Mak.  18. — We  are  all  growing  quite  fat  and  over-fed  here, 
now  that  we  have  so  much  milk  to  drink.  Our  appearance 
certainly  does  form  a  contrast  to  what  we  presented  when 
prowling  about  in  the  forest ;  where  we  were  so  thin  that  Stairs 
lost  his  ring,  as  he  could  not  hold  it  on  his  attenuated  finger. 

Mr.  Stanley  fell  in  all  the  men  to-day,  and  divided  then^ 
into  companies :  No.  1 — his  own  company,  which  I  used  to 
look  after — he  has  now  given  to  Jephson  ;  No.  2  Company  to> 
Stairs ;  No.  3  to  Nelson  ;  No.  4  to  myself ;  Bonny  is  to  take 
charge  of  the  Nubians. 

Mar.  19.—  .... 

Mar.  20. — Cartridges  were  distributed  to  all  the  men 
to-day. 

Kites  are  very  numerous  here  ;  they  are  always  about  when 
any  meat  is  killed,  and  swoop  down  with  the  greatest  audacity, 
often  actually  snatching  pieces  of  the  meat  out  of  the  men's- 
hands. 

Nearly  all  the  women  whom  I  have  seen  in  this  neighbour- 
hood have  a  hole  in  the  upper  lip ;  some  of  them  have  large 
circular  pieces  of  wood,  even  exceedmg  a  coui^le  of  inches  in 
diameter,  forced  into  the  hole ;  this  projects  from  the  face  for 
a  measurable  distance — quite  enough  to  eifectually  prevent 
them  from  kissing,  even  if  they  wanted  to. 

The  Pasha  is  a  very  keen  collector  ;  he  has  already  secured 
many  birds,  bugs,  fishes,  and  insects.  He  will  have  great 
difficulty  in  conveying  his  collection  to  the  coast,  as  our 
supply  of  carriers  is  certainly  insufficient  for  the  enormou* 
amount  of  baggage.  He  has  been  describing  to  me  how  the 
people  of  his  province  manufacture  the  "  poteen  "-like  spirit 
to  which  I  have  already  more  than  once  referred.  They  take 
Indian  corn  and  steep  it  in  Avater,  covering  the  surface  of  the 
latter  over  with  leaves,  and  leaving  it  till  it  sprouts ;  which  it 
does  in  three  or  four  days.  They  then  take  it  out,  pound  it  in 
a  mortar,  and  return  it  into  a  large  vessel  of  water,  mixing  with 
the  hand,  till  it  attains  the  consistency  of  gruel.  It  is  then  lelt 
to  sour — three  to  six  days.  It  is  next  dried,  pounded  in  a 
mortar,  and  scalded  till  it  has  assumed  a  putty -like  consist- 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  KAVALLI  CAMP.  389 

eiice,  and  then  left  to  cool.  When  cold,  it  is  mixed  with 
€old  water  till  reduced  to  the  consistence  of  soup  ;  it  is  then  left 
standini^  for  twenty-four  hours,  and,  lastly,  distilled  with  the 
help  of  earthenware  vessels.  Very  many  of  the  Pasha's  people 
imbibe  large  quantities  of  the  liquor  so  procured. 

Many  of  the  men  here  are  suffering  from  itch.  The  treat- 
ment adopted  is  to  have  them  well  washed  and  scrubbed,  and 
then  thoroughly  well  rubbed  with  a  mixture  of  gunpowder 
and  oil.  This  application  causes  a  good  deal  of  stinging  pain, 
but  it  is  really  very  effective ;  after  a  few  applications  they  are 
perfectly  cured, 

I  believe  that  we  are  to  have  but  three  carriers  each  when 
we  resume  our  march  to  Zanzibar ;  if  so,  I  will  again  have  to 
throw  away  my  collection  of  curios.  The  Pasha's  people  come 
to  me  in  swarms  for  advice  and  medicine :  I  give  them  a  much 
larger  proportion  of  the  former  than  of  the  latter,  as  most  of 
these  complaints  are  rather  imaginary,  and  I  cannot  afford  to 
waste  any  of  my  scanty  drugs  on  ailments  of  this  class.  Of 
those  who  are  really  ill,  most  are  syphilitic,  many  have  ulcers, 
and  a  few  are  suffering  from  the  debility  of  age,  being  over 
seventy  years  old.  I  also  give  advice  for  delicate  children  by 
the  dozen. 

This  waiting  here  for  the  Pasha  and  his  people  is  quite 
sickening ;  his  followers  are  making  no  exertion  whatever  to 
get  themselves  into  readiness.  Mr.  Stanley  has  said  over  and 
over  again  that  our  object  was  to  bring  him  relief,  which  we 
have  accomplished  by  giving  him  ammunition.  I  pity  the 
Pasha  himself,  for  if  he  returns  to  his  province — to  the 
people  who  rebelled  against  him  and  imprisoned  him — he  is 
sure  to  be  killed,  and  he  seems  very  timid  about  returning  to 
Europe  without  all  his  people.  He  has  asked  Mr.  Stanley, 
Nelson,  Jephson,  Stairs,  and  myself,  if  we  thought  that  he  had 
done  enough  for  his  people,  and  if  we  would  say  the  same 
when  we  returned  to  Europe  ;  we  all  emphatically  assured  him 
that  he  had  done  a  great  deal  too  much  for  so  useless  and 
treacherous  a  lot  as  they  too  obviously  were.  He  has  declared 
his  intention  of  leaving  with  us  on  the  10th  of  April ;  if  he 
does  not  hear  from  Wadelai  in  the  meantime,  he  will  leave  a 
party  to  follow  on  after  us.  We  have  heard  from  reliable  spies 
that  the  Pasha's  mutineers  may  at  any  moment  march  down 
on  us  and  capture  both  ourselves  and  our  stores ;  this  I  do  not, 


390  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.         [1880. 

however,  believe  that  tliey  can  possibly  succeed  in  doing ;  for 
the  natives  for  ten  miles  around  are  all  loyal  to  Mr.  Stanley, 
so  that  he  would  be  warned  of  their  coming,  and  would  have  a 
reinforcement  of  at  least  a  couple  of  thousand  natives  to  assist, 
in  case  of  the  occurrence  of  any  foul  play  of  this  kind. 

I  am  at  present  treating  both  the  Pasha  and  Captain  Casati 
for  ulcers. 

Mak.  21.—  .... 

Mae.  22. — At  5  o'clock  yesterday  morning,  Jephson  and 
Stairs  started,  with  their  respective  comj^anies,  to  inflict 
punishment  on  a  hostile  tribe.  They  returned  late  at  night ; 
with  310  head  of  cattle,  and  about  twenty  goats  and  sheep. 
One  man,  Ulya,  had  received  a  deep  arrow  wound  in  the  calf 
of  his  leg.  The  shaft  was  broken,  and  the  point  of  the  arrow 
was  near  the  skin.  By  a  small  incision  over  it,  I  was  able  to 
extract  the  arrow-head  directly  through  the  new  opening — the 
barbs  would  have  effectually  prevented  its  passing  the  other 
vvay,  if  I  had  attempted  its  removal  in  that  direction. 

The  men  have  also  secured  a  liberal  supply  of  beans  and 
chickens,  and  obtained  a  quantity  of  very  good  skins,  which 
will  help  to  cover  their  nakedness. 

Mar.  23. — Mr.  Stanley  took  a  photograph  of  the  Wangwana 
to-day  in  a  group.  The  arrangement  was  extremely  theatrical, 
as  some  of  the  largest  men  in  camp  were  alongside  the  dwarfs, 
so  as  to  make  the  contrast  as  telling  as  possible. 

I  managed  to  get  a  few  cooking-pots  to-day  from  the  Pasha's 
people  :  we  wanted  them  badly,  having  but  two  belonging 
to  the  Expedition — in  fact,  we  are  indebted  to  the  Pasha  for 
most  of  our  little  extras  or  comforts  here,  including  honey, 
with  which  we  sweeten  our  tea.  Whenever  we  pay  the  Pasha 
a  visit,  he  always  gives  us  a  tiny  cup  of  Turkish  coffee;  and,  as 
is  invariably  the  case  among  the  Turks  and  the  Arabs,  it  is 
accomj)anied  by  a  cigarette.  We  have  now  got  as  much  milk 
as  we  require,  a  state  of  things  which  we  had  ceased  to  hope 
for  in  Africa  after  our  last  two  years'  experience.  The  Pasha 
told  me  that  General  Gordon  was  the  most  inveterate  cigarette 
smoker,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  taking  opium — both  by  mixing 
it  with  his  cigarettes,  and  in  pills.  lie  first  recognised  this  by 
a  certain  fulness  and  sweetness  of  the  voice,  which  he  noticed 
after  he  had  taken  his  medicine.  This  habit  may  account  for 
his  occasional  eccentricities,  sucii  as  giving  a  man  a  box  on 


1889.]  LIFE  AT  KAVALLI  CAMP.  391 

the  ear  (or  a  few  lashes  of  his  kurbash)  and  presenting  the 
delinquent,  immediately  after,  with  a  gift  of  one  or  two  dollars. 
He  also  told  me  that  the  General  had  become  remarkable 
through  his  eccentricities,  and  felt  that  he  (the  Pasha)  could 
not  forgive  him  for  one  thing,  viz. :  that  when  Gordon  ordered 
him  (the  Pasha)  to  visit  Uganda  officially,  he  refused  to  give 
him  the  order  in  writing,  and  therefore  evaded  responsibility. 
Nevertheless,  the  Pasha  spoke,  upon  the  whole,  very  highly  of 
Gordon. 

Mae.  24. — I  have  just  removed  an  arrow-head  from  Fathel 
IMulah,  the  Nubian,  who  had  received  six  of  these  missiles  in, 
his  body,  on  the  2nd  of  January  last,  in  the  forest.  This  is. 
the  sixth  (and  last)  arrow-head,  which  I  have  now  succeeded 
in  extracting.  It  is  bent,  like  the  others,  having  struck  one 
of  the  vertebrae.  I  have  all  six  arrow-heads  in  my  possession 
now.    (Vide  No.  13,  page  500.) 

The  Pasha  tells  me  that  many  men  in  his  province  have 
large  spleens,  and  that  these  men  never  suffer  from  fever.  He 
believes  that  people  who  have  enlargement  of  this  viscus  are 
f ever-proof  in  Africa.  He  mentioned  his  own  case  as  bearing 
on  the  point :  he  has  had  fever  but  three  times  during  a 
thirteen  years'  residence  in  Africa — his  spleen  is  somewhat 
enlarged. 


392  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 


CHAPTER   XXIL 

PREPARATIONS  FOR  THE  RETURN  JOURNEY  TO  ZANZIBAR. 

A  steamer  arrives  from  Ms\va  Station  with  some  of  Emin's  ]-)eople — Letter 
from  the  rebel  officers — Our  discussion  of  the  same — We  decide  to  wait 
imtil  April  10  for  Emin's  peopile — Treachery  suspected  in  the  camp — ■ 
Erain's  clerks  are  almost  all  bad  characters — Some  newcomers  arrive  at 
Mazamboni's — Mr,  Stanley's  proposal  to  Emin  Pasha  regardino;  the 
Congo  Free  State — Emin  presents  7ne  with  a  box  of  medicine — "We 
obtain  another  sight  of  the  great  snow  mountain  which  directly  con- 
tradicts Herodotus'  view — The  Moubuttu  tribe  inoculate  with  the  virus 
of  syphilis — Stairs  makes  the  first  move  homewards  with  some  loads — 
Arranging  the  loads  among  the  men — Bark  cloth  suspended  from  the 
belts  of  the  Wahuma  and  representing  tails — Haunts  and  habits  of  the 
•dwarfs — Their  different  ways  of  catching  game— An  elephant  trap — 
Canniba'ism  not  practised  by  the  dwarfs — Emin  Pasha  and  myself  take 
careful  measurements  of  the  various  dimensions  of  four  specimens  of  the 
pigmies  —Mr.  Stanley  acts  as  medi;itor  between  Mohammed  Effendi  and 
liis  wife — Circumcision  practised  by  the  Monbuttu  tribe — Syphilis  in 
the  Pasha's  Province — His  men  suffer  from  enlarged  spleens — Length  of 
an  Arab  wedding  festival — Nelson  and  I  arrange  with  the  Pasha  for  a 
cook — My  experience  regarding;  a  cook  with  the  Guards'  Camel  Corps— 
Our  dwarfs  since  leaving  the  forest  are  gradually  piuinf;;  away — Attempt: 
of  the  Pasha's  people  to  steal  some  Zanzibari  rifles— Mr.  Stanley  sounds 
a  general  muster  and  addresses  the  men — His  reasons  for  so  doiui; — I 
compare  his  version  of  the  incident  "'ith  that  of  the  Pasha's — Circum- 
stances render  Emin's  return  to  the  Province  impossible — Total  number 
of  Emin's  people,  also  loads — Dance  by  Walunna  women  outside  ]\Ir. 
Stanley's  tent — Contest  between  OmaV,  the  Nubian  chief,  and  five  Zan- 
zibaris — We  institute  some  athletic  sports. 

Mar.  25, — About  1  p.m.  to-day,  a  few  of  the  Pasha's  people 
arrived  (including  a  Bari  interpreter),  from  Mswa.  The 
steamer  had  come  from  that  station,  and  had  not  eve^i  brought 
a  letter  from  either  Shukri  Agha,  chief  of  the  Mswa  Station,  or 
Selim  Bey,  senior  officer  at  Wadelai,  although  these  officers 
had  orders  to  write,  or  come  to  our  camp,  at  the  flr.-t 
opportunity ;  and  had  also  been  emphatically  told  by  both 
Mr,  Stanley  and  Emin  Pasha  that  tha  former  would  not  wait 
for  them  longer  than  till  the  10th  of  April,  The  steamer 
brought  some  passengers  and  some  food — also  a  short  letter 


1889.]     rnEPARATIONS  FOB   BETUBN   TO   ZANZIBAB.      393 

signed  by  all  the  rebel  officers,  and  nearly  all  the  clerks, 
proclaiming  their  repentance  for  what  they  had  done,  and 
saying  that  they  would  all  come  out  with  the  governor :  ]\Ir. 
Stanley  received  one  copy  of  this  letter,  and  Emin  Pasha 
another.  Accordingly,  the  soldiers  alone  will  number  800  or 
more;  and  as  they  are  all  polygamists,  they  will,  with  their 
wives  and  children,  form  an  immense  multitude  compared 
with  our  puny  force  of  200  Wangwana  (Zanzibaris),  and 
twenty-one  Nubians.  Most  of  these  soldiers  are  armed  with 
Remingtons,  and  have  some  ammunition  left. 

Mar.  26. — Immediately  after  the  arrival  of  the  above  news 
on  yesterday,  Mr.  Stanley  sent  for  Stairs,  Nelson,  Jephson,  and 
myself,  to  come  into  his  tent,  where  he  and  the  Pasha  were 
seated.  Mr.  Stanley  then  said,  "  I  have  sent  for  you  officers 
to  ask  your  opinion  as  to  whether  we  should  stay  here  longer 
than  till  the  10th  of  April,  as  we  have  already  waited  for  the 
Pasha  and  his  people  nine  months."  He  gave  us  a  long 
address  in  connection  with  the  questions,  and  we  all  expressed 
our  desire  to  start  on  the  10th,  as  these  people  have  had  such 
a  long  time  to  get  ready ;  besides,  the  Pasha  says  that  they 
will  be  here  in  fifteen  days ;  if  so,  they  will,  of  course,  be 
ready  to  accompany  us  on  the  10th  of  April. 

Mr.  Stanley  and  Emin  Pasha  then  wrote  informing  both  the 
rebels  and  the  "  faithfuls  " — if,  perad venture,  any  of  the  latter 
are  to  be  found — definitely  stating  that  the  expedition  will 
leave  here  on  the  10th  of  April,  with  or  without  them.  The 
Pasha  certainly  interceded  for  these  worthless  rebels  in  a 
most  self-abnegating  —  and,  indeed,  unreasonable — manner. 
Mr.  Stanley,  although  admitting  the  danger  of  their  presence 
among  us,  as  some  of  them  had  already  repeatedly  declared 
that  they  would  seize  our  ammunition,  still  consented  to  allow 
them  to  join  us ;  but  on  the  conditions  that,  before  they 
enter  our  camp,  both  officers  and  men  shall  lay  down  their 
arms,  and  that  they  will  be  at  once  fired  on,  on  the  very 
first  sign  of  disorder  or  insubordination  appearing  among 
them. 

We  all  agreed,  of  course,  to  wait  till  the  10th  of  April ;  but, 
all  the  time,  we  felt  quite  certain  that  if  these  wretches 
arrive  in  force  they  will  simply  overwhelm  our  Zanzibaris ; 
and  that,  whether  they  came  before  or  after  our  departure, 
they  will  immediately,  on  seeing  a  good  country,  seize   all 


394  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATOR  I AL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

our  ammunition,  and  settle  in  it.  The  belief  to  which  we  are, 
however,  most  firmly  inclined  is,  that  on  coming  here  they 
will  probably  attempt  to  hill  us  all,  and  settle  here,  as  the 
country  would  be  very  suitable  for  them. 

Mr.  Stanley  told  the  Pasha  that  his  only  fear  was  that  he 
would  forgive  the  rebels  and  return  to  them,  and  not  come 
out  to  Egypt  at  all.  The  Pasha  asked  if  Mr.  Stanley  and  us 
officers  would  support  him  when  he  returned  to  his  govern- 
ment, and  say  that  he  had  done  his  best  for  his  people ;  we 
were  all  unanimous  in  assuring  him  that  we  considered  that 
he  had  done  a  great  deal  too  much. 

Mae.  27. — The  Pasha  came  to  my  tent  this  morning,  and 
told  me  that  he  had  received  a  long  letter  signed  by  all  his 
clerks,  excepting  his  own  personal  clerks,  asking  him  for  some 
advancement  and  reward,  as  he  had  recently  rewarded  the 
soldiers.  This  communication,  coming  at  such  a  time,  is 
peculiarly  impertinent  and  unreasonable ;  the  Pasha  has  done 
what  he  could  to  get  these  people  and  their  families  away 
from  the  clutches  of  the  rebels.  It  must  also  be  remembered 
that  many  of  them  are  criminals,  and  almost  all  are  bad  cha- 
racters— having  been  connected  with  Arabi's  rebellion,  or  been 
convicted  of  crime  in  Egypt,  and  then  transported  here  to  the 
Equatorial  Province,  to  fulfil  their  terms  of  penal  servitude. 
They  certainly  do  look  like  a  party  of  midnight  assassins ;  and 
thoroughly  represent  what  might  be  expected  to  be  the 
appearance  of  the  denizens  of  the  "  Botany  Bay  "  of  Egypt. 
His  confidential  clerks  were  of  this  class,  and  all  are  enfeebled 
by  disease  which  has  been  aggravated  by  intemperance  or 
other  vice,  or  by  misconduct. 

At  about  10  A.M.,  some  of  Mpinga's  men  came  into  camp 
with  the  news  that  a  very  large  number  of  people  had  arrived 
at  Mazamboni's,  who  had  clothes  like  the  Zanzibaris,  and  were 
looking  for  ]Mr.  Stanley.  The  identity  of  the  new  comers, 
proved  a  fertile  source  of  guessing ;  we  thought  of,  first, 
Jameson,  and  Salim  Bin  Mohammed  ;  secondly,  Kilonga  Longa 
and  his  people;  thirdly,  another  relief  expedition  sent  out 
l)y  the  committee,  on  account  of  the  enormous  number  o-f 
desertions  at  Yambuya;  fourthly,  Tippu-Tib.  Mr.  Stanley 
immediately  fell  in  No.  1  Company ;  and  dispatched  Jephson 
— with  about  forty  men — to  ascertain  the  facts  of  the  matter. 
We  all  hope  that  it  is  Jameson. 


1889.]     FREPABATIONS  FOR   RETURN  TO   ZANZIBAR.      395 

During  a  quiet  conversation,  a  few  mornings  ago,  the  Pasha 
tokl  me  that  Mr.  Stanley  had  said  to  him  that  the  King  of  the 
Belgians  would  make  him  (the  Pasha)  Governor  of  all  the  Congo 
State  (including  Stanley  Falls),  and  to  the  Albert  Nyanza,  if 
he  would  accept  the  jjost ;  and,  that  with  the  united  strength 
of  the  Pasha's  men  and  our  men,  they  could  return  and  fight 
Tippu-Tib,  if  necessary ;  and  drive  him  back  to  Tanganyika. 
(This  scheme  seems  unaccountable.)  The  Paslia  would  not 
accept  the  post  under  any  circumstances,  as  his  ammunition, 
stores,  &c.,  should  then  all  come  via  the  Congo;  and,  he  con- 
siders the  Congo  State  is  so  young,  that  he  might  at  any  time 
be  left  in  the  lurch,  without  any  assistance  whatever.  How- 
ever, he  says,  that  if,  after  getting  out  with  us,  the  King  of  the 
Belgians  would  make  him  Governor  of  the  Congo  State,  he 
would  accept  it.  If  he  accepted  the  appointment — conveyed 
by  Mr.  Stanley's  message  —  he  would  have  the  rank  of 
General  in  the  Belgian  Army,  with  any  pay  that  he  asked  for. 

The  Pasha  has  kindly  had  my  white  clothes  dyed  brown 
for  me  ;  this  latter  is  a  safer  colour  in  an  enemy's  country. 
The  dye  used  was  prepared  from  the  bark  of  the  wild  fig- 
tree. 

Mak.  28. — The  Pasha  to-day  handed  me  over  a  box  of 
medicines — about  a  foot  and  a-half  in  length,  by  a  foot  in 
width,  and  a  foot  in  depth.  It  contains  a  goodly  array  of 
bottles,  but  very  little  medicine.  He  asked  me  whether,  if  he 
or  his  people  required  medicine,  I  would  give  it  to  them.  I 
replied  that  I  must  first  consult  Mr.  Stanley,  as  the  medicines 
in  my  charge  all  belonged  to  the  Expedition.  Just  at  that 
moment,  Mr.  Stanley  entered  the  Pasha's  house  where  we 
were  talking,  so  I  asked  him  there  and  then,  and  he  consented 
at  once.  I  thought  it  my  duty  before  taking  over  medicines 
on  such  conditions,  to  ask  my  chief  for  his  permission.  Mr. 
Stanley  said,  "  Look  after  the  Pasha  and  his  people,  as 
well  as  the  Expedition,  as  long  as  the  medicines  last."  I 
said  that  I  should  be  very  glad  to  look  after  the  Pasha's 
people. 

This  morning  some  of  the  Wangwana  were  allowed  to  fire 
at  an  ammunition  box  at  a  distance  of  100  yards.  They  were 
perfectly  innocent  of  the  use  of  the  sights. 

Mak.  29.—  .... 

Mar.  30. — To-day  the  snow  mountain  which  was  seen  by 


396  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

Jephson  and  myself  in  April  of  last  year,  and  also  by  Mr. 
Stanley  and  myself  on  the  24th  of  May  following,  stands  out 
very  clearly ;  but  not  quite  so  distinctly  as  when  I  saw  it  for 
the  first  time.  We  all  took  sketches  [of  it.  The  Pasha, 
Casati,  Stanley,  Jephson,  Stairs,  and  myself,  all  watched  it  for 
a  good  while ;  and  all  the  men  turned  out  to  see  it.  The 
peaks  were  covered  with  snow.  The  mountain  range  runs 
visibly  for  a  long  way  to  the  1  east ;  a  continuation  of 
Mazamboni's  hill  cuts  off  the  view  to  the  west.  This  sight 
directly  contradicts  Herodotus'  view  (Rawlinson's  translation 
oi  Herodotus,  page  32),  "  The  theory  that  the  inundation  of 
the  Nile  is  caused  by  the  melting  of  snows  is  positively 
furthest  from  the  truth.  As  it  flows  out  of  Libya  through 
Ethiopia  into  Egypt,  how  is  it  possible  that  it  can  be  formed 
of  melting  snow,  running  as  it  does  from  the  hottest  regions 
of  the  world  into  cooler  countries  ?  Many  are  the  proofs 
whereby  any  one  capable  of  reasoning  on  the  subject,  may 
be  convinced  that  it  is  most  unlikely  this  should  be  the 
case." 

The  Pasha  tells  me  that  the  Monbuttu  tribe  in  his  Pro- 
vince inoculate  with  the  virus  of  syphilis.  (This  is  a 
tribe  quite  distinct  from  the  dwarfs.)  The  rash,  and  all 
sequelaa  appear  very  rapidly,  but  their  course  is  not  so 
virulent. 

Apeil  1, — Stairs  left  this  morning  for  Mazamboni's;  the 
first  move  on  the  long  and  narrow  path  for  home.  He 
had  with  him  140  loads,  most  of  which  were  carried  by 
natives.  We  weighed  ourselves  to-day,  and  got  the  follow- 
ing reults : — 

Stanley  ......  145  lbs. 

Eiiii.i 1.30    „ 

Jeplisou  ......  150     ,, 

Xelsou 140    ,, 

rarke 170    „ 

The  Pasha  and  myself  took  some  measurements  of  those 
Pigmies  whom  we  were  able  to  find  in  camp. 

April  2. — Mr.  Stanley  fell  in  all  the  men  this  morning, 
and  gave  each  a  load.  He  is  giving  to  each  of  us  officers  four 
Manyuema  to  carry  all  our  baggage — including  tent,  cooking 
utensils,  food,  and  clothes — so  we  shall  have  to  throw  away  all 


NATIVES   AT    KAVALLl  S    SVITOSED    TO   HAVE    TAILS. 


1889.]     TEEPABATIONS  FOB   BETURN   TO   ZANZIBAB.      397 

our  collections  of  curios,  as  these  carriers  are  small  aind 
weak.  Sacli  is  keeping  all  the  best  men  to  carry  the  ivory- 
clue  to  him.  There  are  now  about  260  loads  in  the  Ex- 
pedition. There  are  200  Zanzibaris,  21  Nubians,  and  about 
20  Manyuema.  All  the  Pasha's  men  have  now  come  up  from 
the  lake;  Nelson  brought  the  last  instalment  two  days 
ago. 

The  Pasha  is  bilious,  and  a  little  feverish,  at  present ;  this 
keeps  him  out  of  sorts,  and  not  in  the  best  of  moods.  His 
spleen  is  greatly  enlarged,  and  he  is  very  yellow. 

April  3. — Some  of  the  AVahiima  at  Kavalli's  wear  a  tail- 
like piece  of  bark  cloth,  suspended  from  the  waist-belt,  and 
hanging  down  behind,  for  this  reason  they  were  supposed  to 
have  tails — by  the  natives  on  the  oj^i^osite  side  of  the  Albert 
Nyanza.  The  measurements  of  the  various  dwarf  specimens 
gave  us  pretty  constant  results.  These  diminutive  human, 
beings  live  on  game,  which  they  kill  in  the  forest ;  whenever 
possible,  they  sell  the  meat  to  the  Wasongora^  i.e.  the  bigger 
natives,  who  occupy  clearings  in  the  forest,  and  who  are  muck 
larger  in  size,  and  darker  in  colour.  These  dwarfs  are  great 
thieves,  and  often  get  into  trouble  by  filching  the  bananas- 
froic*  the  plantations  of  the  Wasongora.  They  are  itinerant 
in  their  habits — always  moving  about — and  do  not  appear  to> 
live  in  any  camp  for  more  than  a  few  days  to  a  month  at  a 
time.  They  catch  their  game  by  means  of  nets,  which  are 
beautifully  constructed  from  grass,  or  bark  fibre,  spun  into- 
twine.  The  meshes  are  diamond-shaped,  about  five  inches  in. 
length  by  three  in  width ;  and,  both  in  shape  and  strength,, 
very  like  salmon  drawing-nets.  They  are  made  about  100- 
yards  in  length,  and  nearly  five  feet  in  height.  When  not 
set  for  catching  game,  they  are  kept  in  the  huts,  coiled  round 
a  long  pole.  They  are  quite  as  well  made  as  any  fishing  nets- 
which  one  sees  on  the  beach  near  coast  towns  at  home.  (Both 
ourselves  and  our  men  find  this  twine  extremely  useful  in 
tying  up  loads,  and  keeping  our  kit  together,  &c.,  &c.)  The 
dwarfs  set  the  net  in  the  forest  in  the  form  of  a  semicircle ; 
they  then  drive  up  the  game  towards  it,  and,  when  within 
its  curve,  they  shoot  at  them  Avith  their  arrows — poisoned 
or  otherwise.  Pitfalls  in  the  ground  are  also  used  for  the 
purpose  of  catching  game ;  they  make  large  oblong  holes-  in, 


398  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

the  earth,  somewhat  like  an  enhirged  grave  for  the  de- 
posit of  a  human  body,  and  narrower  below  than  above;  they 
are  arranged  on  some  frequented  game-track,  and  are  con- 
structed with  great  care  and  nicety.  Each  of  these  pits  is 
covered  over  with  small  twigs,  over  which  leaves  are  strewn  ; 
so  that  the  elephant,  or  other  desired  prey,  may  walk  up  to 
it  unsuspectingly.  AVhen  he  steps  on  top  of  this,  he,  of 
course,  drops  in;  and  cannot,  by  any  possibility,  extricate 
himself.  Another  method  of  killing  game  which  they  employ 
is  by  suspending  a  heavy  beam,  armed  with  a  very  strong, 
sharp  spike  of  wood  or  iron,  over  a  game-track.  This  thing  is 
so  arranged  that  when  the  animal,  in  walking  along,  breaks  a 
vine  stretched  across  the  path,  the  upper  end  of  the  beam, 
previously  secured  by  the  distal  eixl  of  this  vine,  is  set  free. 
This  bears  the  spike,  which  is  generally  barbed,  and  the  beam 
itself  is  so  placed  (suspended  by  the  vine  coiled  round  an  over- 
hanging branch  and  drawn  obliquely  over  the  path)  that  its 
spiked  end  comes  down  directly  over  the  middle  of  the  narrow 
track,  and  strikes  the  animal  on  or  near  the  spine — preferably 
the  cervical :  the  wound  there  being  rapidly  fatal,  and  totally 
disabling  the  victim  at  once.  It  is  by  this  method  that  the 
elephants  are  more  usually  caught ;  traps,  nooses,  &c.,  are  also 
used. 

The  dwarfs  are  not  superstitious  ;  they  compound  medicines 
for  the  treatment  of  their  more  important  bodily  ailments,  and 
are  very  fond  of  cupping.  My  pigmy  has  become  very  con- 
fiding, and  has  picked  up  Kiswahili  rather  quickly.  She  tells 
me  that  the  people  of  her  tribe  rarely  eat  human  flesh,  and  are 
ashamed  of  doing  so.  So  far  as  my  observation  goes,  their 
morals  appear  to  be  above  suspicion.  They  are  of  a  light 
brown  colour,  and  their  bodies  have  a  denser  growth  of  hair 
than  those  of  any  other  natives  whom  we  have  met.  .It 
is  short,  and  downy  in  character,  and  covers  the  general 
integument  pretty  uniformly.  Up  to  this  none  of  us  with 
the  advance  column,  have  seen  an  instance  of  cannibalism. 

His  Excellency  ]^]min  Paslia  and  myself  made,  to-day,  care- 
ful measurements  of  the  various  dimensions  of  four  specimens 
of  the  pigmies.  They  had  come  from  a  district  about  fourteen 
days'  march  to  the  west  of  Kavalli's.  They  gave  the  follow- 
ino;  results  in  millimetres  : — 


1SS9.]     PnEPABATIONS  FOB   IlETUBN   TO   ZANZIBAR.      399 


Tokbali 
(female). 

Iti 

(male). 

Female. 

Age  20. 

Age  15. 

Age  35. 

Steady. 

Restless. 

Restless. 

13G0 

1240 

1365 

1337 

1120 

1235 

1116 

1021 

1101 

1112 

1101 

1019 

870 

770 

850 

650 

570-5 

691 

409 

450 

530 

835 

720-5 

780 

688 

630-5 

600  , 

791 

740-5 

805 

700 

650 

665 

380 

360 

365 

46 

60 

65 

320 

304 

295 

237 

214 

225-5 

1     282 

237 

228 

I     710 

660 

710 

720 

660 

710 

530 

535 

510 

140 

145 

145 

147 

150 

145 

156 

157 

160 

140 

150 

140 

60 

60-5 

65 

76 

70-5 

80 

1     120 

135 

130 

46 

50-5 

50 

119 

120  ' 

120 

220 

190 

212 

Mary 

Anno 
(female). 
A.ge  15-20. 
Restless. 


I  Feigbt — vertex  to  ground i 

Meatus  auditorius  e.\.ternus  to  ground  . 

Acromion  to  ground 

Sternal  extremity  of  clavicle  to  ground 

Tip  of  olecranon  to  ground 

Styloid  process  of  ulna  to  ground   . 
Tip  of  middle  finL:;er  to  ground. 

Umbilicus  to  ground 

Crest  of  OS  pubis  to  ground 

Crest  of  ilium  to  ground 

Great  trochanter  of  femur  to  giouad    .      .    i 

Knee  to  ground | 

External  malleolus  to  sole  of  foot  ... 

Acromion  to  acromion 

Acromion  to  anterior  superior  spine  of  ilium 
Great  trochanter  to  great  troclianter     .      .    1 
Circumference  of  thorax  below  nipples       .    | 
,,  „  under  arm-pits     .    j 

,,  skull  above  ears  ... 

External  auditory  meatus  to  one  of  oppo-) 

site  side ( 

Smallest  transverse  diameter  above  and  in  (_ 

front  of  ears ( 

Greatest   transverse   diameter   above    audi 

behind  ears ( 

Greatest  prominence  of  os  zymoticum  tul 

opposite j 

Breath  of  nose 

Length  of  nose 

Outer  canthus  to  outer  canthus       .      .'     . 
Inner  canthus  to  inner  canthus 
Between  angles  of  lower  jaw     .... 
Length  of  foot 


1280 

1150 

1090 

1045 

855 

695 

555 

770 

645 

750 

625 

335 

50 

260 

220 

224 

640 

630 

510 

135 
140 
155 

145 

65 

65 
140 

51 
125 
190 


April  4. — Last  evening,  about  7  p.m.,  there  was  a  great 
noise  in  the  camp.  Mohammed  Eifendi,  who  had  been  en- 
gineer on  one  of  the  steamers,  worked  himself  into  a  desperate 
temper,  because  his  wife  would  not  return  to  her  marital  duties. 
He  used  very  foul  language  about  the  Pasha.  After  this  effusion 
he  came  and  complained  to  Mr.  Stanley.  He  told  the  latter, 
that  the  Pasha  kept  his  wife  in  his  house  to  take  care  of 
Ferida  (the  Pasha's  child),  and  that  she  would  not  return  to 
him.  Mohammed  appeared  to  be  under  the  influence  of 
2)oml>e.  Mr.  Stanley  explained  that  the  palaver  was  not  his 
but  the  Pasha's,  and  that  he  did  not  want  to  have  any  one 


400  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889, 

making  a  noise  in  the  camp  at  night-time.  The  man 
then  went  off,  and  declared  that  he  woiikl  enter  the  Pasha's 
house  by  force,  and  take  away  his  wife.  Immediately  after 
his  departure,  the  wife  came  to  jMr.  Stanley's  tent  to  have  lier 
say.  She  was  enveloped  in  spotless  white.  Mr.  Stanley  said, 
that  unless  the  Pasha  wished  her  to  speak  to  him,  he  would 
not  see  her.  A  messenger  was,  accordingly,  dispatched  to  the 
Pasha,  to  acquaint  him  with  this  new  phase  of  the  dispute. 
He  soon  returned  to  say  that  she  might  speak  with  Mr.  Stanley, 
who  then  allowed  her  into  his  tent,  and  asked  Jephson  and 
myself  to  come  in  too.  The  woman  said  that  she  did  not  wish 
to  return  to  her  husband,  as  he  had  ill-treated  her ;  and  said 
that  she  was  now  looking  after  Ferida,  and  did  not  wish  to> 
leave  her.  She  was  then  sent  away,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
Pasha  came  over  and  said  that  this  man  "had  avowed  his  inten- 
tion of  entering  his  (the  Pasha's)  house  at  night,  and  carrying 
off  his  wife  by  force :  he  then  asked  Mr.  Stanley  to  protect 
him.  Accordingly,  nine  sentries  were  posted  around  the 
Pasha's  house.  The  Pasha  then  told  us  about  how  he  had 
taken  this  woman  into  his  house  when  an  orphan  child, 
and  had  afterwards  given  her  in  marriage  to  Mohammed 
Effendi :  she  was  then  re-engaged  by  the  Pasha  as  a  nurse  for 
his  daughter,  with  the  understanding  that  she  should  return 
to  her  husband  every  night.  This  arrangement  has  not  been 
kept  latterly,  and  its  breach  has  led  to  great  domestic  trouble 
and  vexation.  Both  she  and  her  husband  have  very  bad 
tongues,  and  are  gifted  with  great  power  of  abuse.  The  Pasha 
said  that  he  was  willing  to  allow  her  either  to  go  back  to  her 
husband,  or  stay  with  him,  as  Mr.  Stanley  might  think  proper  to 
decide  ;  but,  at  the  same  time,  pleaded  that  if  she  was  taken, 
away  altogether,  he  would  have  no  one  to  look  after  his  child  on 
the  road.  (It  is  well  that  we  have  no  scandal  journal  published 
here :  this  tyrannical,  segment  of  the  press  would,  of  course, 
as  usual,  be  absolutely  indifferent  to  the  truth  or  falsehootl  of 
the  statements.)  A  compromise  was  eventually  agreed  to  by 
all  parties  concerned;  by  which  it  was  arranged  that  Mrs> 
Mohammed  sliould  attend  to  the  Pasha's  nursing  during  the 
day,  and  return  to  lier  husband  every  night. 

The  Monbuttu  (not  the  dwarfs),  circumcise  their  male- 
children — applying  to  the  cut  surfaces,  after  operation,  a  paste 
made  by  mixing  ashes  with  boiling  oil.     Circumcision,  as  an 


1889.]      PllEPAnATIONS   FOR   BETCIIN   TO   ZAXZJBAIi.      401 

institution  in  Egypt,  dates  back  to  the  most  remote  antiquity ; 
it  existed  at  the  earliest  period  of  which  any  monuments  remain, 
more  than  2400  years  before  our  era :  and  there  is  no  reason 
to  doubt  that  the  rite  was  practised  much  earlier.  The  Africans 
generally  are  inclined  to  be  cleanly,  as  shown  by  shaving  the 
head,  face,  and  removing  the  hair  from  the  whole  body. 
They  perform  amputations,  and  apply  boiling  butter  at  once 
to  the  face  of  the  stump.  The  Bari  peo]3le  inoculate  syphilis 
as  a  safeguard  against  the  disease.  Syphilis  is  very  common 
all  over  the  Pasha's  province  :  he  says  that  it  must  have 
originated  in  the  country,  as  it  was  there  when  the  first 
European  traveller  arrived,  and  this  opinion  is  in  keeping 
with  my  observations  and  experience.  We  certainly  have 
seen  the  disease  in  parts  of  the  forest  which  have  never  before 
been  traversed  by  any  white  man,  or  even  Arab. 

The  Pasha's  people  are  very  sallow  and  sickly  in  com- 
plexion, especially  the  Egyptians,  who  are  commonly  called 
"  Yellow  Bellies ;  "  nearly  all  of  them  have  enlarged  spleens. 
They  do  not  seem  to  suffer  much  from  fever;  although  I 
have  seen  plenty  of  fever,  with  very  high  temperatures,  in 
other  places,  among  representatives  of  all  the  different  tribes 
in  Equatorial  Africa.  The  Pasha  treats  these  enlarged  spleens 
by  first  rubbing  over  the  skin  of  the  splenic  region  with 
ointment,  or  solution,  of  tartar  emetic ;  and  then  applying  oil 
of  rosemary. 

A  wedding  festival  in  the  Pasha's  province  requires  eight 
days  to  complete,  as  there  are  a  number  of  preliminary  cere- 
monies which  must  be  performed  during  the  time. 

I  now  feel  fever  coming  on,  as  I  write ;  and  I  know  that  I 
will  be  bathed  in  perspiration  within  a  few  hours.  Nelson 
and  myself  have  arranged- with  the  Pasha  for  the  services  of  a 
cook,  whom  we  are  to  feed  and  pay — the  Zanzibaris  being 
unable  to  prepare  even  porridge.  I  remember  that  when  I 
first  talked  over  the  arrangements  of  the  Expedition  with 
Mr.  Stanley,  at  Cairo  (in  January,  1887),  I  asked  him  whether 
he  was  bringing  good  cooks  with  him,  observing  that  they 
were  necessary  for  the  health  of  the  Expedition.  My  sugges- 
tion, 1  told  him,  was  founded  on  my  experience  on  the  Nile,, 
when  serving  with  the  Guards'  Camel  Corps.  This  was  the 
only  corps  which  was  fortunate  enough  to  possess  the  services 
of  a  good  civilian  cook  for  the  whole  campaign,  and  it  was 

2  D 


402  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

the  only  one  which  had  no  officer  invalided  home.  This 
cook  was  named  Carlo,  he  appeared  to  be  a  Greek  Jew,  and 
gave  no  additional  trouble.  The  Zanzibaris  usually  just  scald 
the  meal  with  boiling  water ;  this  has  the  effect  of  con- 
verting it  into  a  heavy,  unleavened,  starchy  mass,  which  can 
only  be  swallowed  by  a  series  of  spasmodic  jerks,  and  requires 
to  have  the  gullet  well  lubricated  at  intervals  by  copious 
draughts  of  water. 

Since  our  dwarfs  emerged  from  the  shades  of  the  forest  into 
open  daylight,  they  have  been  gradually  pining  away,  and  are 
constantly  down  with  intensely  high  fever.  I  told  my  dwarf 
long  ago  that  she  might  remain  in  the  forest,  but  she 
preferred  following  the  caravan.  I  believe  that  the  debility 
and  fever  are  chiefly  due  to  the  unaccustomed  exposure  to  the 
direct  rays  of  the  scorching  sun,  and  the  occasional  chilling 
breezes — both  of  which  were  effectually  excluded  by  the  dense 
foliage  of  the  primeval  forest.  The  entire  caravan  has  suffered 
more  from  fever  on  the  open  plain  than  it  did  while  in  the  forest. 

April  5, — This  morning,  Mr.  Stanley  came  suddenly  out 
of  his  tent,  about  10  A.i\r.,  blew  his  whistle,  and  in  a  very 
determined  way  ordered  each  of  us  to  fall  in  with  our  respective 
companies — also  to  have  our  own  fire-arms  ready  in  case  they 
were  wanted.  It  was  very  evident  from  his  appearance  and 
gesticulations  that  something  was  up ;  none  of  us  had,  how- 
ever, the  faintest  idea  what  was  the  matter.  It  might  have 
been  merely  a  demonstration,  to  impress  the  outsiders  with  his 
force  and  power  of  command;  or  it  might  have  been  some 
necessary  proceeding,  to  check  a  conspiracy  just  discovered. 
All  our  companies  were  in  their  places  in  five  minutes. 
Grasping  his  rifle  with  energy  and  resolution,  he  roared  to 
the  men  that  he  was  Bnla  Matari  to-day,  ordered  them  to  have 
the  tents  struck,  and  all  things  packed  up  at  once.  He  then 
asked  the  Pasha  to  assemble  his  people  in  the  square,  whereupon 
the  latter  sounded  the  asscmhUe ;  and,  after  a  little  dawdling, 
all  his  officers,  soldiers,  and  clerks,  appeared  on  the  square. 
Mr.  Stanley  then  told  them  in  a  loud  voice — using  the  Pasha  as 
interpreter,  that  all  who  wished  to  follow  him  were  to  fall  in  on  one 
side,  and  those  who  would  not  follow  were  to  fall  in  on  the  other 
side.  The  immediate  result  Avas,  tliat  they  all  fell  in  on  the  side 
of  following  us — thereby  announcing  their  intention  of  accom- 
panying us  to  Egypt.     These  trembling,  feeble,  procrastinat- 


1889.]     PnEPABATIONS  FOB   BETUBN  TO   ZANZIBAR.      403 

ing,  useless  villains,  really  did  appear  to  have  been  stirred  up 
to  reason  by  the  promptitude  of  Mr.  Stanley's  action :  they 
have,  at  all  events,  given  a  definite  answer  ;  and,  probably,  for 
the  first  time  in  their  lives.  Some  of  the  Pasha's  soldiers  were 
afterwards  made  prisoners  for  refusing  to  lay  down  their  arms 
when  ordered ;  a  few  of  these  men  are  the  Pasha's  own 
servants,  who  had  been  with  him  for  years,  and  on  whose 
faithfulness  he  had  been  weak  enough  to  rely.  When  this  was 
all  over,  our  tents  were  re-pitched,  and  everything  was  quiet 
again. 

In  the  evening,  I  spoke  to  Mr.  Stanley,  who  seemed  to 
think  that  he  had  done  a  good  day's  work  :  he  told  me  that 
the  reason  for  the  demonstration  was  an  attempt  on  the  part 
of  the  Pasha's  people  to  steal  rifles  from  our  Zanzibaris 
during  the  night.  Our  men,  however,  did  not  use  their  rifles, 
and  could  not  identify  ithe  midnight  thieves.  Mr.  Stanley 
became  aware  of  all  this,  as  he  has  a  perfect  detective  system 
arranged  among  the  Zanzibaris.  We  were  not  at  all  sur- 
prised to  hear  of  this  attempt  on  our  fire-arms,  for  the  Pasha's 
men  had  already  stolen  one  of  our  rifles ;  and  we  had  reason 
to  suspect  further  treachery  on  the  part  of  these  scoundrels 
whom  we  have  come  so  long  a  way  to  relieve.  On  this  informa- 
tion, Mr,  Stanley  immediately  went  to  the  Pasha  and  told 
him  the  story,  and  also  made  the  two  following  proposals  : 
First,  to  assemble  all  the  people  in  the  square,  and  find  out 
who  were  the  individuals  who  had  made  the  attempt  to  steal 
the  rifles,  and  who  intended  going  with  us  to  Egypt,  and  who 
did  not.  Second,  to  march  off,  and  camp  about  two  miles  off; 
so  as  to  obviate  the  continuous  danger  of  having  our  rifles 
stolen — those  who  wanted  to  come  with  us  might  come,  and 
those  who  wanted  to  stay  might  stay.  The  Pasha  replied 
that  he  was  unable  to  get  his  things  ready  for  a  sudden  move, 
and  then  Mr.  Stanley  gave  him  till  8  a.m.  next  day ;  but  he 
replied  that  he  could  not  be  ready  by  that  time. 

When  I  had  finished  my  conversation  with  Mr.  Stanley,  I 
went  over  and  interviewed  the  Pasha,  and  had  an  opportunity 
of  hearing  his  side  of  the  story,  which  differed  from  that  given 
above  in  but  very  few  details.  He  said  that  he  did  not  agree 
to  Mr.  Stanley's  first  proposal,  because,  when  the  latter  made 
it,  he  had  also  said  that  when  the  Pasha's  people  had  all 
fallen  in,  they  should  then  and  there  be  disarmed;  and  he 

2  D  2 


404  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOIUAL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

feared  that,  if  an  attempt  was  made  to  enforce  this  suggestion^ 
the  result  might  be  a  general  massacre,  if  they  refused  to- 
comply,  as  they  would  be  likely  to  do.  He  had  refused  Mr; 
Stanley's  second  proposal,  because  the  latter  had  made  it  a; 
sine  qua  non  that  the  Pasha  should  keep  it  a  perfect  secret. 
The  Pasha  said,  "  Ah,  but  I  wished  to  tell  Casati,  as  he  had 
no  carriers,  and  would  be  very  much  put  about ; "  adding,  that 
Casati  had  stuck  to  him  while  he  was  a  prisoner,  and  that 
he  would  not  like  to  do  anything  without  having  his  consent. 
I  must  say,  that  I  thought  both  these  objections  perfectly 
absurd :  because  it  was  Mr.  Stanley  and  not  the  Pasha  who 
was  supplying  carriers  to  Casati ;  and  the  latter  would  have- 
the  same  warning  as  the  officers  of  the  Expedition,  so  that  he 
really  Avould  not  be  handicapped  in  the  least  degree,  and 
should  have  no  real  grievance. 

When  the  Pasha  had  refused  to  move  in  accordance  with 
either  of  these  proposals,  Mr.  Stanley  then  said,  that  if  any 
blood  should  happen  to  be  spilt,  it  would  be  on  his  (the 
Pasha's)  own  lioad.  All  this  had  occurred  in  the  morning, 
directly  Mr.  Stanley  had  heard  of  the  attempt  to  steal  the 
rifles,  and  before  he  had  blown  his  whistle  as  the  signal  for  the 
men  to  fall  in.  When  the  Pasha  was  again  asked  to  assemble 
his  people,  he  emerged  from  his  hut,  with  his  field  boots  on, 
and  ready  to  march :  he  also  had  all  his  boxes  tied  up,  and 
appeared  ready  to  start  at  once.  He  ordered  his  bugler  to 
sound  the  assemhlee,  as  described  above.  During  the  diplo- 
matic intercourse  which  followed,  the  Pasha  interpreted  with  a 
great  deal  of  energy ;  and  asked  Mr.  Stanley  if  he  might  tell 
his  people  that  if  any  of  them  were  seen  roaming  about  the 
camp  after  10  p.m.,  they  would  be  shot  by  our  sentries.  It  is^ 
evident  that  the  Pasha  would  like  to  remain  on  here,  adding 
to  his  collections,  and  not  caring  much  about  having  kept  us  alt 
these  months  waiting  for  him.  He  knows  that  he  cannot 
remain  here  alone  Avith  his  people,  for  his  life  would  be  a& 
uncertain  as  if  he  went  back  to  his  own  rebels  in  his  province  : 
accordingly  he  sees  that  he  has  no  other  alternative  left  but  to 
come  out  with  us.  He  has  often  told  me  that  he  would  like 
to  remain  on  in  his  province,  provided  he  could  get  his  books 
and  letters  periodically,  as  he  had  been  accustomed  to — from 
Zanzibar,  through  Uganda  and  Unyoro  :  this  is,  of  course,  now 
impossible,  on  account  of  the  insurrection  in  Uganda,  where 


1889.]    FUEPARATIONS  FOR   RETURN   TO   ZANZIBAR.      405 

the  Arabs  are  fighting  to  place  Ivarema  on  the  throne 
instead  of  the  hereditary  heir  Mwanga,  who  has  been,  baptized 
into  the  Christian  religion  by  the  French  priests.  These 
candidates  for  the  regal  dignity  are  both  sons  of  the  great 
]\Itesa.  Even,  however,  if  the  Pasha  could  receive  his  letters 
in  the  old  way,  he  has  nowhere  to  go,  as  his  own  people  are  his 
worst  enemies :  they  would  treat  him  as  a  prisoner,  or,  perhaps 
ilvill  him  on  the  slightest  irritation.  Even  if  they  did  receive 
him  back  again  as  their  Governor,  the  ammunition  which  we 
have  brought  for  his  relief  would  last  him  only  a  couple  of 
months  against  the  invasion  of  the  Mahdi's  people.  His  own 
people  have  already  sacked  his  ammunition  stores,  and  taken 
away  everything — including  the  thirty-three  boxes  of  ammu- 
nition which  we  handed  over  to  him  in  April,  1888.  Under 
all  these  circumstances,  it  would  be  simple  madness  on  his 
part  to  think  of  remaining;  and  I  am  sure  that  he  has  at 
last  recognised  this  fact,  and  that  it  accounts  for  his  unex- 
pected promptitude  in  packing,  and  lacing  on  his  long  boots, 
so  as  to  be  in  readiness  to  accompany  the  Belief  Expedition, 

From  this  time,  thirty-two  of  our  men  were  constantly  on 
duty  during  the  night — some  posted  as  sentries,  and  some 
patrolling  the  camp.  This  day's  proceedings  will,  I  believe, 
have  a  good  effect  on  these  sluggish,  procrastinating,  and 
■designing  people,  over  whom  the  Pasha  has  quite  lost  his 
control.  Looking  at  the  performance  as  an  uninterested 
observer,  I  should  say  that  it  was  a  most  pitiful  display  of 
vacillation,  and  want  of  determination  and  initiative  action 
on  the  part  of  the  Pasha ;  while  the  violent  display  of  temper 
assumed  by  Mr.  Stanley,  which  would  have  been  very  unbe- 
coming indeed  among  respectable  or  reasonable  people,  had 
become  absolutely  necessary,  in  order  to  make  these  wretches 
seriously  think,  and  decide  what  they  were  going  to  do.  The 
whole  demonstration  may  be  described  as  an  effective  dramati- 
cally arranged  farce :  the  striking  of  the  tents,  Emin  Paslia's 
appearance  in  travelling  costume,  the  general  parade,  the  pro- 
posed march  to  another  camp,  the  immediate  refusal,  and  the 
subsequent  remaining  on  without  being  asked. 

April  6. — Yesterday  morning  Mr.  Stanley  found  a  large 
quantity  of  ammunition,  beads,  and  matako  in  the  possession  of 
Sadi,  the  Manyuema  chief;  they  had  been  stolen  from  the 
Expedition. 


406  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889„ 

On  Mr.  Stanley's  suggestion,  the  Paslia  assembled  his  people 
tliis  morning  (at  7.30  a.m.).  He  himself  did  not  aj)pear.  They 
all  fell  in,  Ly  their  families,  and  with  their  loads ;  so  that  an 
accurate  account  might  be  made  as  to  how  many  carriers 
would  be  required. 

Men 190 

Womsn  and  chilJren  ......     .'380 

Wives  of  Egyptians        ....  84 

Children 74 

Female  followers  .....  187 

Infants  of  above    .....  35 

Total  number  of  Emin  Pasha's  people  .  .  .  .     570 

„  loads        ......     448' 


The  total  number  of  Wangwana  and  Mauyuema  is  about 
350 ;  this  includes  those  who  have  gone  on  with  Stairs  in 
advance.  Accordingly,  our  Expedition  now  numbers  about 
1,000  souls. 

April  7,  8. — 

April  9. — A  great  deal  of  dancing  has  been  going  on  here 
for  the  past  two  days :  a  kind  of  farewell  festivity,  as  we  are 
taking  our  final  departure  on  to-morrow.  Yesterday  about 
twenty  of  the  Wahuma  women  collected  from  the  neigh- 
bouring districts,  and  danced  in  front  of  Mr.  Stanley's  tent. 
This  was  a  great  compliment  to  our  chief.  Their  movements 
were,  however,  rather  clumsy.  The  performance  was  somewhat 
like  the  naufcJi,  with  a  peculiar  and  characteristic  voluptuous- 
wriggle  of  the  buttocks.  The  great  object  to  be  attained  in 
the  movement  was  to  be  able  to  shake  the  green  banana  leaves- 
which  each  had  stuck  in  her  belt,  "fore  and  aft."  One  branch 
was  adjusted  posteriorly  in  the  gluteal  fissure  ;  another  (smaller) 
one  hung  down  in  the  median  plane  of  the  body  in  front.  In 
the  saltatory  movements,  these  decorative  appendages  are 
shaken :  both  antero-posteriorly,  and  from  side  to  side. 

D.  y. !  we  all  start  to-morrow.  Our  hearts  are  sick  of 
the  long  delay,  and  of  the  uselessly  laborious  work  imposed 
upon  us  of  fetching  up  so  many  worthless  articles  from  the 
Lake.  The  one  great  redeeming  feature  of  our  stay  here  is, 
that  Kavalli  and  his  peojjlo  could  not  possibly  have  treated  us 
with  more  kindness  since  we  came. 

On  yesterday  afternoon  the  wife  of  Omar,  the  Nubian  chief. 


1889.]     FBEPARATIONS  FOR   RETURN  TO   ZANZIBAR.      407 

was  insulted  by  one  of  the  Zanzibaris.  He  at  once  came  with 
his  comphxint  to  Mr.  Stanley,  who,  in  order  to  give  satisfaction 
to  all  j)arties  concerned,  had  a  ring  immediately  cleared,  and 
allowed  Omar  and  the  Zanzibari  to  have  it  out.  The  Zan- 
zibari  was  immediately  knocked  over ;  then  Omar  challenged 
any  Zanzibari  to  come  forward,  and  take  the  place  of  the 
defeated  champion.  One  did  come  forward,  but  was  soon 
sent  sprawling ;  then  another,  who  experienced  the  same  fate. 
Finally,  two  Zanzibaris  came  forward  together,  as  they 
seemed  to  be  growing  anxious  for  the  common  honour  of  their 
tribe.  Omar  floored  both !  The  row  then  extended,  and 
rapidly  developed  most  of  the  classic  features  of  a  Donny- 
brook-fair  festivity ;  it  left  the  five  Zanzibari  champions  with 
bruised  and  wounded  scalps,  and  the  Nubian  but  slightly 
hurt.  Athletic  sports  were  instituted  to-day ;  and  it  is  a 
fact  worth  noting,  that  the  wliite  man  (Jephson)  could  run 
away  from  any  of  his  black  competitors. 


408  EXFERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 


CHAPTEE  XXIII. 

TREASON    AMONG   EMIn's    PEOPLE. 

We  commence  our  iourney  to  the  coast — ^Nelson  sets  fire  to  the  huts — Per- 
fume of  my  Monbuttu  woman — Failure  of  native  carriers  to  perform 
their  contract — We  obtain  fresh  carrieis — Laziness  of  Emin's  people— 
Shukri  Agha,  commandant  of  Mswa  Station  overtakes  us — H;iri,  my 
factotum — Lackof  hair  on  the  faces  of  natives — Mr.  Stanlej^  ill  for  the 
second  time  with  a  violent  attack  of  intermittent  fever — My  anxiety 
about  him — -The  Pasha  assists  in  the  treatment  of  my  patient — My  sup- 
ply of  morphine  tabloids  almost  exhausted — Method  of  making;  bread  by 
Eiuin's  people — Nelson  an  excellent  cook — Mr.  Stanley's  condition  and 
diet — I  am  laid  up  with  bilious  remittent  fever — Oui'  leader  suffers  a 
relapse — Illness  of  all  the  white  officers  of  the  expedition  owing  to  bad 
camping  ground — We  change  our  camp — Emin  assists  me  ia  my  pro- 
fessional duties — Stairs  and  some  men  forage  for  food — Mazamboni's 
stinginess — Kecovery  of  Mr.  Stanley — Heavy  rains — Weights  of  Stanley, 
Nelson,  and  myself — A  native  gives  us  some  information  regarding 
Kuwenzori — I  manufacture  some  candles — Annoyance  by  liya-nas — Cap- 
ture of  Rehan  and  other  deserters  from  the  Pasha's  camjj — We  hold  a 
board  of  inquiry  into  Piehan's  case,  and  find  him  guilty — Execution  of 
Rehan — Distribution  of  rifles  and  ammunition  to  the  men — Letter  from 
Selim  Bey  at  Tunguru — Discussion  of  the  same — We  intercept  letters 
from  the  Pasha's  people  to  tlie  rebel  officers  in  Equatoria. 

AniiL  10. — About  6.30  a.m.  this  morning,  all  the  men  fell 
in,  and  received  their  loads.  Those  who  were  in  any  way 
"unfit,"  had  their  loads  carried  by  native  volunteers,  about 
850  of  whom  were  distributed  among  the  Pasha's  people ;  and 
many  ran  alongside  our  men,  and  carried  their  loads  for  them 
at  intervals,  for  the  Wangwanahad  made  many  friends  amongst 
them.  Edi,  a  Zanzibari,  who  suffered  from  well-marked 
heart  disease,  and  consequent  congestion  of  the  lungs,  was  left 
behind  with  Kavalli,  as  ho  was  unable  to  march.  Kavalli 
promised  to  look  after  him,  and  suggested  that  if  any 
Manyuema  people  came  into  this  country  for  ivory  he  couhl 
accompany  their  siiffarl  (small  expedition)  to  Zanzibar,  when 
he  had  recovered  sufficiently  to  undertake  the  fatigue  of  the 
journey. 

Our  caravan  left  at  eight  o'clock,  all  the  Pasha's  people  moving 


1880.]  TBEASON  AMONG   EMIM'S  PEOPLE.  409 

off  in  rear  of  No.  1  Company.  No.  4  did  rear-guard.  When 
all  bad  cleared  out  of  camp,  Nelson  returned  with  a  party  of 
men,  searched  all  the  huts,  and  afterwards  burnt  them.  The 
camp  was  strewn  all  over  with  pots,  trunks,  bedsteads,  tin 
baths,  chairs,  and  all  sorts  of  rubbish  in  the  basket  line ; 
grinding-stones,  and  one  enormous  copper-pot,  were  also 
included  in  the  non-transferable  material.  We  marched  to 
Mpinga's ;  the  rear-guard  arrived  about  three  o'clock,  having 
been  delayed  by  the  cattle,  w^hich  are  not  good  travellers.  On 
reaching  camp,  huts  were  built  for  those  who  were  unable  to 
procure  shelter  in  the  native  domiciles.  Many  things  had 
been  discarded  on  the  line  of  march,  as  the  carriers  were  quite 
unable  to  convey  the  enormous  loads  which  had  been  put  on 
them  by  the  Pasha's  people.  Some  of  the  latter  carried  even 
donkey-saddles  :  a  ridiculous  incumbrance  in  the  present  stage 
of  our  journey,  as  no  use  whatever  can  be  made  of  them  till  we 
get  to  the  south  end  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  where  Mr. 
Stanley  has  arranged  to  have  some  thirty  or  forty  of  these 
animals  waiting.  The  Pasha  has  two  donkeys,  one  for  himself 
and  one  for  the  nurse  Saseta ;  there  are  also  about  half  a 
dozen  other  donkeys  among  the  Pasha's  people.  There  are  a 
great  many  children  accompanying  us  now,  and  I  greatly  fear 
that  there  will  be  a  very  high  mortality  among  them ;  as  the 
Pasha's  people  are  not  very  smart  at  building  huts,  or  prej)aring 
any  form  of  extemporaneous  shelter,  on  the  short  notice  of 
camping  for  a  single  night. 

Apkil  11. — There  Avas  a  general  parade  yesterday  evening. 
Last  night  was  extremely  stormy  and  wet;  both  Jephsoii's 
tent  and  mine  were  blown  dowa.  Nelson's  and  the  Pasha's  very 
nearly  so.  I  called  my  Monbuttu  woman  and  my  boys  to 
come  into  the  tent,  and  hold  the  poles  ;  while  I  drove  home 
the  pegs  on  the  outside.  I  will  never  forget  the  "  gorgonzola  " 
perfume  left  behind  in  the  tent  by  the  Monbuttu ;  it  was 
necessary  to  lift  the  walls,  and  air  the  tent  thoroughly,  in 
order  to  remove  it.  N.B.  The  Pasha  tells  me  that  he  can 
recognise  different  tribes  by  their  characteristic  odours. 

A  former  clerk  at  Tunguru,  Ibraham  Effendi,  lost  one  of 
his  women  last  night.  The  Pasha's  peoj)le  are  an  utterh'- 
worthless  lot ;  they  certainly  are  not  value  for  the  trouble  that 
has  been  taken  to  relieve  them. 

April   12. — Jephsou  and   Nelson  returned    about   5   p.3i. 


410  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

yesterday.  They  had  travelled  ahoiit  forty  miles,  and  no  one 
was  injured.  Meat  rations  were  distributed  to  every  member 
of  the  caravan,  including-  the  natives  who  accompanied  us  and 
who  carried  loads ;  these  included  people  belonging  to 
Kavalli,  Mwite,  Mpinga,  and  Mazamboni,  who  are  the  most  im- 
portant chiefs  in  this  part  of  the  country.  This  morning, 
however,  true  to  the  reliability  of  the  Negro,  very  few  of  these 
local  carriers  turned  up  (although  they  had  yesterday  received 
several  cows  from  Mr,  Stanley),  leaving  seventy-eight  loads 
without  carriers.  The  Pasha,  Mr.  Stanley,  Jephson,  and  Bonny 
went  on  in  the  morning  to  Mazamboni's ;  leaving  Nelson  and 
myself  to  try  and  collect  carriers,  and  follow  them  up  with 
the  loads.  We  ascended  the  hill  to  Mpinga's  house,  and  there 
we  managed  to  get  fifty-four  carriers  for  the  seventy-eight 
loads.  We  then  asked  the  Pasha's  people  what  they  should 
do,  suggesting  that  they  should  throw  some  of  the  more 
worthless  loads  away.  The  majority  agreed  to  this  proposal. 
One  clerk,  Yusuf  Effendi,  refused  his  carriers  as  insufficient 
for  his  loads  :  we  said,  "  Very  well,  stop  here."  However, 
when  we  had  given  carriers  to  the  others,  he  reconsidered  his 
position,  and  came  and  begged  for  two.  These  rascally  clerks 
have  a  much  better  supply  of  carriers  than  Mr.  Stanley  or  his 
officers ;  but  they  have  not  yet  learned  to  take  the  trouble  of 
selecting  and  carrying  merely  what  is  necessary. 

On  the  march,  I  noticed  one  boy  and  a  man,  belonging  to 
Yusuf  Effendi,  who  carried  no  loads ;  also  a  stroug  woman 
belonging  to  Ibrahim  Telbass  Effendi,  enjoying  similar  ease ; 
and  one  man  and  about  six  women,  belonging  to  others.  So 
that  although  these  people  threw  away  their  loads,  there  were 
many  serviceable  hands  in  the  party  who  had  nothing  to  do 
but  carry  them,  and  were  prevented  from  doing  so  merely  by 
pure  laziness. 

We  got  away  about  noon.  Nelson  in  the  rear,  and  myself 
in  the  advance.  About  three  o'clock,  we  reached  JMazamboni's 
camp.  About  an  hour  after  leaving  Mpinga's,  Shukri  Agha, 
commandant  of  Mswa,  caught  us  up,  with  only  five  or  six 
followers;  this  shows  the  disaffected  state  of  his  soldiers,  who 
were  suj)i3osed  to  be  the  most  loyal  men  of  all  the  Pasha's 
disciples.  We  formed  two  sejtarate  camps,  adjoining  each 
other  :  the  "  Belief  Expedition  "  in  one,  and  the  "  Ivelieved  "  in 
he  other. 


1889.]  TREASON  AMONG   EMINS  PEOPLE.  411 

Hari,  my  factotum,  a  very  fine,  dark-haired,  handsome- 
looking  man,  wonld  call  out  (as  he  has  been  accustomed  to  do) 
in  the  morning  and  evening  for  the  sick  who  could  walk  to 
come  and  see  me;  also,  to  give  the  men  the  usual  sanitary 
caution  about  the  cleanliness  of  their  huts,  and  not  to  wash 
up-stream,  &c.,  &c. 

I  have  been  again  noticing  to-day,  as  we  continued  our 
march,  how  rarely,  at  any  period  of  our  journey  across  this 
country,  we  have  seen  a  native  with  either  moustache  or  beard. 
They  have  little  or  no  hair  on  their  faces. 

Apkil  13. — I  was  called  at  2  a.m.  this  morning  to  see  Mr.  ■ 
Stanley,  who  was  suffering  from  severe  pain  over  the  gastric 
region :  he  was  sitting  up  in  bed,  and  said  that  he  had  intended 
to  take  my  advice  several  days  before ;  but  had  put  it  off  too 
long,  owing  to  the  extra  work  thrown  on  him.  He  said  that 
he  feared  he  was  getting  the  same  sort  of  attack  which  had 
brought  him  to  death's  door  at  Fort  Bodo,  and  that  he  thought 
it  was  promoted  by  taking  quinine  (ten  grains  per  day)  for 
several  days  previously,  together  with  the  indiscriminate  use 
of  medicine.  I  at  once  gave  him  some  castor  oil,  applied 
stupes  and  half  a  grain  of  morphine  (with  some  atropine) 
hypodermically  (at  4  a.m.).  The  pain  was  somewhat  relieved  by 
the  treatment.  At  7  a.m.,  however,  I  gave  another  hypodermic 
injection  of  morphine.  He  drank  some  milk,  which  was 
quickly  rejected,  with  a  great  quantity  of  bile.  He  afterwards 
drank  a  little  tamarind  water,  which  also  failed  to  rest  on  his 
stomach.  I  then  gai^e  him  a  drink  prepared  by  mixing 
solutions  of  cream  of  tartar  and  citric  acid,  and  adding  one- 
fifth  of  a  grain  of  acetate  of  morphine.  About  noon  the  fever 
rose,  and  reached  its  highest  in  the  evening,  when  he  was  in 
great  agony;  the  beads  of  perspiration  rolling  down  his 
forehead  from  the  excessive  pain.  The  pulse  was  slow  and 
•weak ;  the  tongue  coated  with  a  thick  white  fur — excepting 
along  the  edges  and  at  the  tip,  where  it  was  bright-red 
in  colour.  I  am  sitting  up  with  him  for  the  night,  as  I  am 
afraid  that  he  is  in  for  a  very  serious  attack. 

April  14. — Mr.  Stanley  spent  a  very  restless  night, 
although  he  had  half  a  grain  of  morphine  hypodermically 
at  bed-time.  He  had  another  paroxysm  of  the  intermittent 
fever  this  evening ;  it  was  very  intense  about  3  p.m.  :  the  face 
became  flushed,  and  the   pulse  full   and   rapid.     To   relieve 


412  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

his  thirst  I  give  liim  tamarind  water — made  from  the  fruit 
Ave  picked  up  near  the  Lake — and  solutions  of  cream  of  tartar 
and  citric  acid.  I  also  give  him  tabloids  of  bismuth  and 
sodium  bicarbonate,  three  or  four  times  a  day — previously 
•dissolved  in  water.  I  am  very  anxious  about  him,  and  will 
sit  up  all  this  night  with  him  again. 

April  15. — Mr.  Stanley  slept  fairly  well  last  night,  but, 
about  7  A.M.  he  got  a  violent  paroxysm  of  pain,  which  was 
very  suggestive  of  the  passage  of  a  gall-stone.  I  administered 
a  hypodermic  dose  of  half  a  grain  of  morphine,  as  it  is  the 
only  thing  which  gives  him  any  relief,  and  applied  large 
poultices  of  Indian  meal.  The  pain,  however,  continued  to  be 
so  severe,  and  his  condition  was  so  weak,  that  I  felt  the 
responsibility  of  my  position  terribly,  and  I  asked  him  if  I 
might  get  the  Pasha  to  see  him  with  me,  as  he  might  be  able 
to  recommend  something  which  would  allay  the  pain.  He 
agreed  to  this.  The  Pasha,  on  seeing  him,  recommended  to 
continue  the  treatment,  and  also  to  rub  a  liniment  over  the 
liver  containine: — 


Camphor 
Sesame  oil 
Li' I-  Ammon.  Fort.. 
Tinct.  Opii     . 
Sp.  Eectif.      . 


gr.s.  XV. 

5  1- 
I  iij. 


To  be  rubbed  in  over  the  seat  of  pain,  before  applying  the 
poultice. 

I  am  rather  in  a  stew  about  my  morphine,  as  I  have  but  a 
few  more  tabloids  left ;  and  it  is  the  only  thing  that  subdues 
the  paroxysms  of  agonising  pain,  from  which  my  patient 
suffers  so  terribly.  Sometimes  I  give  him  small  doses,  so  as 
to  economise  my  supply,  but  he  invariably  detects  my 
stratagem ;  although  1  have  tried  to  keep  it  a  secret,  as  th-e 
very  fact  of  getting  a  hypodermic,  even  of  water  (and  no 
morphine)  will  quite  relieve  the  minds,  if  not  the  bodies,  of 
some  patients  for  a  time.  At  10  a.m.,  I  gave  him  two-fifths  of 
a  grain,  as  he  was  perspiring  profusely  from  intense  pain,  and 
I  was  greatly  distressed  to  see  him  in  such  a  condition.  The 
temperature  is  not  very  high — only  lOO""  F. ;  the  thick  white 
fur  on  the  tongue  has  diminished  somewhat,  but  he  is 
extremely  tender  over  the  region  of  the  stomach.  His  liver  is 
evidently  greatly  congested  now ;  it  is  much  more  enlarged 


1889.]  TBEASON  AMONG   EMIN'S   PEOPLE.  413 

than  it  lias  been,  and  there  is  a  good  deal  of  tenderness  over 
the  whole  hepatic  area. 

All  the  Pasha's  people  prepare  their  bread  by  making- 
inatammah  meal  into  a  gruel  of  thin  consistence  ;  and  then 
pouring  out  this  gruel  on  a  flat  piece  of  iron  placed  over  the 
fire.  As  each  thin  cake  is  thus  prepared,  it  is  taken  off  and 
placed  on  a  plate.  When  ten  or  fifteen  of  these  thin  laminsp 
are  laid  one  over  the  other,  they  amount,  collectively,  to- 
about  the  thickness  of  a  cabin  biscuit ;  and,  although  non- 
aerated,  they  really  make  a  very  palatable  bread — at  least  it 
appears  so  to  one  who  has  lived  a  year  and  a  half  in  the 
African  forest  on  bananas ;  I  believe  it  must  be  the  un- 
leavened bread  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures.  They  always 
rub  a  little  grease  on  the  surface  of  their  somewhat  primitive 
pan,  before  pouring  on  the  gruelly  mixture.  This  reminds 
me  of  the  fact  that  there  is  nothing  that  we  missed  more 
in  our  cooking  operations  during  the  past  eighteen  months, 
than  soine  grease.  I  have  Nelson's  testimony  to  the  effect 
that  it  is  quite  impossible  to  cook  without  fjit,  and  I  un- 
hesitatingly pronounce  him  one  of  the  very  highest  authorities 
on  this  important  subject  that  I  have  met  with  :  his  invariable 
rule  is  one  quarter  of  an  hour  to  the  pound  for  a  roast,  a  boil, 
or  a  stew  ;  as  for  cutting  up  a  beast  into  proper  joints  he  ha* 
no  equal  amongst  us. 

April  16. — Mr.  Stanley  slept  pretty  well  last  night.  Seve- 
ral poultices  were  applied  in  succession,  over  the  gastric  and 
hepatic  regions.  In  the  forenoon,  I  gave  half  a  grain  of 
morphine  hypodermically.  He  drank  his  potassium  bitartrate 
and  citric  acid  mixture.  The  morning  temperature  was  exactly 
100°;  at  4  p.m.  it  was  100-2^:  at  7.30  p.m.,  102-2°.  He  is- 
terribly  blanched,  and  so  weak  that  he  is  unable  to  attempt  ta 
move  out  of  bed,  or  even  to  sit  up ;  he  has  to  be  fed  through, 
the  india-rubber  tube  which  I  have  taken  from  my  pocket  filter. 
(Vide  No.  10  sketch  on  p.  500.) 

Apeil  17. — Mr.  Stanley  slept  well  during  the  early  part  of 
last  night ;  he  then  became  restless,  and  I  gave  him  a  draught 
at  bed-time,  containing  25  grains  of  chloral  hydrate.  At 
3  A.M.,  as  he  was  suffering  a  good  deal  of  pain,  I  gave  him  half 
a  grain  of  morphine  hypodermically.  He  is  now  able  to  lie 
on  either  side,  which  I  hail  as  a  good  sign.  He  had  another 
attack  of  the  intermittent  fever  this  morning,  and  I  then  gave 


414  EXrEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL  AEIilCA.         [1889. 

him  two-fifths  of  a  grain  of  acetate  of  morphine.  He  has  not 
been  delirious  during  this  ilhiess. 

April  18. — He  slept  well,  from  9  r.M.  till  midnight,  last 
night ;  then  lay  awake  until  2  a.m.,  during  which  time  I 
applied  turpentine  stupes,  and  also  gave  35  grains  of  quinine, 
beaten  up  with  some  raw  eggs.  At  5.30  a.m.,  I  gave  him  a 
hypodermic  injection  of  morphine.  He"  says  that  he  is  much 
improved,  but  still  feels  very  weak. 

April  19. — About  100  Zanzibaris  left  here  the  night  before 
last,  accompanied  by  some  of  the  Pasha's  people,  to  get  some 
food ;  they  returned  about  4  p.m.  yesterday.  Mr.  Stanley 
has  a  cough  this  morning,  so  I  gave  him  squill  and  ipecac. 
He  still  continues  the  bismuth  and  sodium  bicarbonate.  He 
sat  up  in  his  chair  for  a  couple  of  hours  this  morning ;  the 
pain  is  but  very  slight  now. 

I  have  felt  very  seedy  for  the  past  three  days. 

April  20. — My  temperature  this  afternoon  suddenly  rose 
to  105^^.  My  renal  secretion  became  very  dark — exactly  of  the 
colour  of  Guinness's  stout. 

April  21-24.—  .... 

April  25. — I  have  now  been  confined  to  bed  since  the  20th, 
with  a  pernicious  form  of  bilious  remittent  fever — of  a 
precisely  similar  type  to  that  from  which  I  suffered  at  Fort 
Bodo,  but  much  more  severe.  I  feel  very  weak  all  over,  and 
am  very  much  reduced  in  weight ;  I  was  quite  florid  before  this 
attack,  and  now  I  am  pale  and  blanched.  It  is  a  very  sharp 
attack  indeed,  but  now  I  know  that  I  am  safe  for  recovery. 
The  Pasha  and  the  others  were  very  attentive  to  me. 

Yesterday  I  managed  to  get  to  Mr.  Stanley's  tent — about 
twenty  yards  off — with  the  assistance  of  Muftah,  my  gun- 
bearer,  and  a  stout  stick.  The  Pasha  had  come  to  ask  me  to 
go  and  see  Mr.  Stanley,  as  he  was  so  unwell,  and  was  very 
desirous  that  I  should  see  him.  I  found  him  looking  very 
badly ;  his  cheeks  were  sunken,  and  his  liver  was  enlarged, 
and  very  tender  on  pressure.  He  attributed  his  relapse  to 
some  error  in  diet  which  had  again  upset  his  stomach.  His 
diet  since  he  became  ill  has  been  of  the  simplest  kind,  milk, 
beef-tea,  chicken-brotli,  arrow-root,  and  some  water — I  could 
never  succeed  in  making  chicken-jelly,  but  can  manage  the 
beef-jelly  fairly  well — he  has  been  taking  a  great  deal  of 
morphine.     AVhen  I  asked  liim  how  he  slept,  he  said,  "  Very 


1889.]  TREASON  AMONG   EMINS  PEOPLE.  415 

well,  after  those  two  grains  of  opium."  He  had  had  three- 
quarters  of  a  grain  of  acetate  of  morphine  during  the  after- 
noon. Yet  he  took  two  grains  of  opium  at  bedtime  to  allay 
pain,  without  asking  either  the  Pasha  or  myself.  Bonny  had 
been  nursing  him  during  my  illness.  When  I  saw  his  con- 
dition, I  cautioned  him  not  to  dose  himself  in  private,  and  to 
take  those  medicines  only  which  I  would  give  him.  I  then 
gave  him  a  mixture  containing  : — 

Sodii  snlphat.        .  .  .  .  .  ,  ^^  i. 

Sodii  bicarb.         .  .  .  .  .  •  5  P- 

Acid.  citr.  .......  qs. 

Aq.  Laurocerasi   ......  qs. 

Aquae         .  .  .  .  .  .        ad  5.  vi. 

One  ounce  (half  a  wine-glassful)  every  morning. 

April  26. — I  also  ordered  twenty-five  grains  of  chloral,  to  be 
taken  at  bed-time.  I  went  to  see  him  to-day,  and  found  him 
a  good  deal  better.  He  is  to  live  for  the  present  on  milk  and 
water,  with  a  little  fresh  beef-tea  at  long  intervals,  a  little  arrow- 
root, and  an  occasional  raw  egg.     He  had  a  really  good  night. 

Bonny,  Avho  has  been  nursing  Mr.  Stanley  since  my  illness, 
has  a  sharp  attack  of  fever  to-day.  Nelson  is  down  with 
bronchitis,  and  a  bad  cough ;  and  Jephson  has  been  having  very 
severe  remittent  fever  during  the  past  week,  and  is  just  barely 
able  to  crawl  about.  Accordingly,  we  have  all  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  this  place  is  not  quite  so  salubrious  as  might 
be  desired  :  Stairs  went  off  with  a  party  this  morning  to 
try  and  find  a  good  site  for  a  camp,  not  farther  off  than  one  or 
two  hours  ahead.  I  think  a  change  of  camp  will  be  beneficial 
to  all  of  us,  and  especially  to  the  Pasha's  people,  who  foul 
their  nest  very  soon.  Of  course  we  invalids  can  only  crawl ; 
but  it  is  good  to  change  camp  as  often  as  possible,  especially 
with  such  a  crowd  as  we  have  got  with  us  now,  and  to  be 
moving  onwards.  Change  of  air,  variety  of  scenery,  and  some 
work  are  good  for  all  of  us.  I  gave  Nelson  a  tonic  mixture — 
containing  carbonate  of  iron  and  quinine ;  it  is  the  best  I 
could  squeeze  from  my  very  limited  store.  He  has  never  yet 
quite  recovered  from  the  effects  of  his  life  of  starvation  on  the 
Ituri  and  at  Ipoto,  although  he  began  to  pick  up  from  the  first 
moment  that  he  got  some  meat  added  to  his  diet. 

The  Pasha  has  been  very  kind,  and  comes  over  regularly 
every  day  to   see   us — sometimes    even  three  times.     He   is 


416  EXPEniENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.         [1889. 

really  very  well  up  in  his  work  as  a  medical  man,  considering 
what  he  must  have  forgotten  during  the  past  thirteen  years  of 
African  life.  I  feel  even  his  presence  a  great  support  to  me, 
my  work  being  now  a  great  responsibility,  having  all  these 
white  officers,  and  over  1000  black  men,  looking  to  me  for 
advice.  I  only  hope  that  we  whites  will  live  to  reach  Zanzibar 
at  least.  I  would  also  like  the  blacks  to  live  through  this 
journey,  but  I  know  that  a  large  number  of  them  are  bound 
to  sink  on  the  line  of  march :  from  fatigue,  exposure,  want, 
disease,  wild  beasts,  &c.  I  wish  Mr.  Stanley  were  well  enough 
to  proceed  with  the  march  again,  as  a  standing  camp  is  always 
depressing,  and  generates  more  sickness.  I  am  afraid  that  we 
will  not  be  able  to  get  away  sooner  than  the  20th  of  next 
month,  or  thereabouts.  Mazamboni  is  very  stingy,  and  his 
people  bring  us  little  or  no  food  for  our  caravan.  On  this 
account  Stairs,  accompanied  by  all  the  available  men  in  camp, 
visited  a  large  banana  plantation  yesterday,  about  two  hours 
from  here.  They  brought  back  enough  matammah  and 
bananas  to  last  for  five  days.  There  were  nine  cows  killed 
to-day,  to  be  distributed  throughout  the  entire  camp. 

Caj)tain  Casati  is  very  retired ;  he  has  never  come  over  to 
this  camp,  even  to  enquire  for  Mr.  Stanley,  or  any  of  us. 

Very  heavy  rain  has  been  falling  during  our  stay  here. 
We  do  not,  however,  mind  it  much,  as  we  can  always  dry 
ourselves  again  on  the  same  day — so  unlike  the  forest. 

April  27,  28.—  .... 

Aphil  29. — Mr.  Stanley  got  up  to-day,  for  the  first  time 
since  his  relapse ;  he  dressed  and  went  out  to  a  verandah  about 
twenty  yards  from  his  tent,  which  had  been  specially  made 
for  him.  He  was  carried  in  his  own  chair,  and  remained  out 
until  4  P.M.  He  says  that  he  feels  himself  improving — slowly, 
but  steadily.  He  is  still  very  weak  ;  and,  unless  he  takes  care 
of  his  stomach,  he  is  very  likely  to  get  relapse  after  relapse ; 
which,  after  some  time  might  hopelessly  undermine  his  consti- 
tution. However,  for  a  man  who  has  lived  so  long  in  Africa, 
his  liver  and  spleen  are  comparatively  healthy. 

May  1. — Mr.  Stanley  has  been  able  to  sit  up,  both  yesterday 
and  to-day,  from  8  a.m.  till  4  p.m.  He  cats  porridge  made  witlii 
banana  flour  and  milk.  It  is  very  light  and  digestible,  and 
has  more  flavour  than  arrow-root.  It  is  also  very  nutritious. 
We  whites  have  good  reason  to  know  this  fact  now,  as  we  have 


1889.]  TREASON  AMONG   EMIN'S  PEOPLE.  417 

mostly  lived  on  banana  flonr  for  the  past  two  years.  His 
tongue  is  still  coated  with  a  white  fur,  so  that  it  will  be  some 
days  before  he  can  have  chicken  to  eat ;  as  the  condition  of  the 
tongue  is  the  most  reliable  index  of  the  state  of  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  stomach.  He  is  now  able  to  walk  out  of  his 
tent  to  the  barazan  and  back  with  the  aid  of  two  sticks,  but 
his  limbs  are  still  very  weak  and  shaky.  He  entirely  refuses 
the  arrow-root  now,  taking  the  banana  porridge  in  preference. 
He  slept  very  well  last  night,  and  looks  a  good  deal  brighter 
this  morning. 

There  was  heavy  rain  last  night,  and  stunning  thunderbolts 
repeatedly  shook  the  place.  I  was  quite  snug  in  my  tent ; 
only  a  few  spattering  drops  of  rain  came  through  the  window. 
It  is  now  decided  that  we  will  remain  here  five  days  longer. 

We  were  all  weighed  on  yesterday ;  the  following  results 
were  obtained  : — 

Stanley     .  .     132  lbs.,  having  lest  13  lbs.  since  leaving  Kavalli's  on 

tbe  10th  of  April,  only  20  days  ago. 
Nelson       .  .     148  lbs.,  having  gained  2  lbs.  ,,  „ 

Parke         .  .      169  lbs.,  having  lost  1  lb.  „  „ 

The  Pasha  has  found  a  native  who  tells  him  of  the  existence 
of  hot  springs  a  few  days  from  here ;  in  the  direction  of  the 
Ruwenzori  Mountain  Range,  and  Usongora  Lake.  He  says 
that  the  mountain  can  be  ascended  to  the  snow-line,  but  the 
•upper  regions  are  occupied  by  white  men,  w  ho  live  as  cannibals  ; 
•and  that,  accordingly,  the  natives  are  afraid  to  ascend  on 
account  of  them.  We  have  now  got  a  couple  of  hundred 
head  of  cattle,  and  several  goats  ;  so  that  we  are  rich  in  meat 
for  our  march.  I  have  just  prepared  a  supply  of  candles  for 
the  march,  by  making  wdcks  of  thread  or  shreds  of  linen, 
putting  each  into  a  candle-mould  made  from  hollow  cane,  and 
pouring  into  the  latter  melted  bullock's  fat,  mixed  with  a  little 
bees'  wax.  The  mould  is  then  placed  for  a  few  moments  in 
«old  water,  when  the  contents  solidify ;  and  the  candle  so 
prepared  can  be  easily  removed,  and  presents  a  fairly 
respectable  appearance,  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  a  "  half- 
penny dip."  It  is  most  dismal  and  dangerous  here  at  night ; 
as  hyaenas  are  always  prowling  about  close  to  our  camp, 
making  a  most  mournful  cry,  and  ready  to  pounce  upon  any- 
one who  may  venture  beyond  our  enclosure. 

May  2. — About  1.30  p.m.  to-day,  the  exploring  party  returned 

2  E 


418  EXPEPiIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFItKJA.         [1889, 

from  the  Lake  ;  to  whicli  tliey  liad  gone  in  searcli  of  several 
deserters  from  the  Pasha's  camp.  Koor,  one  of  the  Pasha's 
"faithfuls,"  captured  Eehan,  the  man  who  had  been  given  by 
the  Pasha  to  Mr.  Stanley  in  May,  1888,  to  return  to  the  rear 
column.  He  had  run  away  some  days  ago,  and  stolen  Avith 
him  one  of  the  expedition  rifles,  with  forty-six  rounds  of 
ammunition ;  forty  of  which  he  had  fired  off  at  friendhj 
natives  on  his  way  to  the  Lake.  About  a  dozen  other  run- 
aways were  also  captured.  Mr.  Stanley  rewarded  the  captors 
by  giving  each  a  cloti  (about  twelve  feet  in  length)  of  satini 
cloth.  (This  satini  is  an  inferior  kind  of  calico.)  He  gave 
two  doti  to  the  man  Avho  had  captured  liehan.  The  officer 
of  the  party  reported  that  only  these  few  people  were  to  be 
found  at  the  Lake,  as  all  the  rest  had  marched  back  by  the 
shore  to  Mswa.  The  native  chief  Katonza  had  told  them 
that  on  the  way  through  Melindwa's  country  several  of  the 
fugitives  had  been  killed  by  the  natives — all,  indeed,  except 
those  who  had  rifles  to  defend  themselves.  The  camp  on  the 
Lake  shore  had  been  burnt  ;  none  of  the  fugitives  had 
remained  there.     Rehan  was  placed  under  a  guard. 

Mr,  Stanley  remained  out  till  5  p.m.  to-day.  He  is  im- 
proving, but  still  lives  on  milk  and  banana  porridge,  Avith  a 
cup  of  arrow-root  and  a  cup  of  chicken  broth,  every  other  day. 
Shortly  after  the  scouting  party  had  returned  to-day, 
Mr.  Stanley  told  Stairs  that  he  was  to  convene  a  board  of 
inquiry  into  the  case  of  Eehan,  and  report  the  result  to  him. 
This  was  accordingly  done.  The  board  was  formed,  Avith 
Stairs  as  president ;  the  members — Nelson,  Jephson,  and 
myself.  We  examined  tAvo  officers — AAvash  Effendi  and  Abdul 
Wahud  Effendi ;  also  the  Pasha's  servants  Sayd,  Busheri,  and 
Eehan.  All  of  us  Avere  unanimous  in  finding  him  guilty  on 
both  charges  :  1st,  inciting  the  Pasha's  soldiers  and  others,  to 
desert ;  2njd,  deserting,  and  stealing  a  rifle.  After  some  hours 
spent  in  inquiry  and  deliberation,  Ave  all  returned  to  Mr. 
Stanley's  tent — Avith  a  Avritten  report  of  our  proceedings,  and 
our  verdict.  We  recommended  hanging.  Mr.  Stanley  im- 
mediately proposed  that  if  a  Muniapara  (a  chief)  could  be 
found  responsible  for  his  custody,  he  might  be  utilised  in 
carrying  a  load  to  the  coast.  We  then  protested  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  hold  the  Muniapara  responsible  for  the  safe- 
guard of  Eehan.  as  his  duties  Avould  call  him  away  from  time  to 


1889.]  TBEASON  AMONG   EMIN'S  PEOPLE.  419 

time,  wlien  lie  would  be  obliged  to  leave  his  prisoner  alone. 
]^[r.  Stanley  also  suggested  that  he  might  be  chained  with 
other  prisoners,  and  be  made  to  carry  a  load  as  we  went  on ; 
but  the  objection  to  this  arrangement  was  that  he  could 
communicate  with  other  rebels,  and  continue  his  treason ;  also 
that  as  he  is  so  extremely  cunning,  he  would  be  clever  at 
releasing  himself,  and  might  get  away  altogether,  so  that  he 
would  have  to  be  secured  in  a  way  that  would  absolutely 
ensure  his  perfect  safety.  We  then  discussed  the  question  of 
who  should  look  after  him  Avhen  in  camjD  after  a  march,  and 
we  came  to  the  conclusion  that  he  would  be  neglected ;  the 
necessary  result  of  which  would  be  that  he  would  either  die  or 
escape.  Accordingly  we  decided  that  the  only  judicious 
course  under  the  circumstances,  treason  being  rife,  would  be 
liis  immediate  execution.  When  this  decision  was  finally 
ratified,  the  whistle  was  blown,  and  all  our  men  fell  in  close 
to  Mr.  Stanley's  tent,  the  Pasha's  people  collecting  at  some 
distance,  and  anxiously  watching  the  ceremony.  Mr.  Stanley 
then  read  the'  charges,  the  evidence,  and  the  verdict,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  pass  the  sentence.  It  was  a  moment  of  tragic 
excitement.  In  reading  the  sentence,  Mr.  Stanley  stood  up  for 
the  first  time  since  his  illness ;  and,  while  gesticulating  with 
great  energy,  his  hat  fell  off,  and,  in  trying  to  catch  it,  he  him- 
self fell  to  the  ground,  exhausted  by  the  exertion,  which  was 
too  much  in  his  present  feeble  condition.  His  worn  and 
blanched  appearance  made  the  scene  most  impressive. 

When  the  sentence  was  passed,  the  prisoner  was  imme- 
diately seized  and  brought  to  the  nearest  tree,  where  Stairs, 
Nelson,  Jephson,  and  myself  superintended  the  execution. 
The  rope  used  had  become  so  rotten,  from  exposure  to  wet 
and  damp,  that  it  broke  when  the  culprit  had  bean  hoisted 
to  a  height  of  about  a  foot  from  the  ground.  Four  plies  were 
then  plaited  together,  and  he  was  drawn  up  to  a  height  of 
fourteen  feet  from  the  ground,  in  which  position  the  body  was 
left  suspended  for  the  night. 

The  Pasha's  people  turned  out  in  great  numbers  to  see 
the  execution.  When  the  rope  had  broken,  and  the  culprit 
Rehan  had  fallen  to  the  ground,  I  talked  to  him,  as  I  was 
interested  to  observe  what  was  his  mental  state  in  the  wretched 
position  in  which  he  was  then  placed.  I  found  him  utterly 
indifferent  and  apathetic  ;  not  merely  passively  or  stupidly  so, 

2  E    2 


420  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

but  that  he  did  not  seem  to  mind  it  in  the  least — another 
remarkable  illustration  of  how  little  these  extraordinarily 
fatalistic  people  seem  to  care  about  their  lives.  At  Ipoto, 
I  saw  a  black  man  go  to  sleep  while  a  knife  was  being 
sharpened  for  the  (professed)  purpose  of  cutting  his  throat ! 

May  3. — Mr.  Stanley  made  arrangements  to-day  that  Stairs 
and  Jephson  should  go  with  a  party  for  food. 

May  4. — Mr.  Stanley  is  much  better  to-day.  The  fur  on 
his  tongue,  which  had  seemed  to  become  a  "  fixture  "  there,  is 
clearing  off. 

May  6. — Mr.  Stanley  had  two  tiny  chickens  to-day,  the 
first  meat  he  has  had  since  his  illness  began. 

May  7. — All  our  people  rested  in  camp  to-day,  as  we  are 
to  start  to-morrow.  This  has  been  a  very  nice  camp,  but 
there  are  a  great  number  of  hyasnas  about;  they  come  in 
among  our  tents  and  huts  at  night,  and  make  a  very  mournful 
cry.  They  have  already  taken  off  a  few  children  belonging  to 
the  Pasha's  followers. 

Each  Zanzibari  who  carries  a  rifle  has  been  supplied  with 
thirty  rounds  of  ammunition  ;  the  chiefs  getting  a  double 
portion  of  sixty.  About  twenty  Remington  rifles  were  given 
to  the  Pasha's  people ;  this,  with  what  they  had  got  already, 
makes  their  stock  of  rifles  up  to  about  fifty.  They  have  five 
and  a  half  boxes  of  ammunition. 

About  5  P.M.,  some  of  Kavalli's  people  arrived,  bearing 
letters  for  the  Pasha ;  one  of  them  was  from  some  officer  at 
the  lake,  who  had  arrived  in  the  small  steamer  which  had 
•come  from  Selim  Bey.  The  latter  is  somewhere  about 
Tunguru.  Selim  Bey's  letter. was  to  the  effect  that  the 
I'asha  was  treating  his  soldiers  badly,  making  them  carry 
loads  on  their  heads,  &c, ;  and  it  went  on  to.  say  that  he 
(Selim  Boy)  had  decided  to  send  twenty  soldiers  and  three 
officers  to  inquire  into  the  truth  of  this  report,  and  bring  him 
Ijack  the  facts  about  it.  These  soldiers  had  ascended  the 
hill  from  the  lake,  and  were  this  evening  at  Kavalli's,  about  six 
hours'  march  from  here.  The  news  made  us  all  feel  anxious ; 
as  we  thought  that  wo  might  now  be  again  delayed  by  these 
wretched,  helpless,  thoughtless  Egyptians.  Mr.  Stanley  called 
Stairs,  Jephson,  Nelson,  and  myself  into  his  tent,  and  told  us 
about  this.  He  also  told  us  about  some  letters,  from  tlie  Pasha's 
clerks  and  officers  in  our  camp  to  tlieir  friends  in  Wadelai, 


I 


18S0.]  TREASON  AMONG   EMINS  PEOPLE.  421 

whicli  had  been  intercepted  on  the  way  ;  containing  all 
sorts  of  lies  about  us,  and  the  treatment  they  had  been 
receiving  at  our  hands,  and  asking  for  even  one  company  of 
soldiers,  which  would  be  sufficient  to  delay  our  progress  till 
a  larger  force  had  arrived,  when  they  hoped  to  seize  ourselves, 
our  ammunition,  and  all  our  belongings.  Ibrahim  Effendi,. 
one  of  my  patients,  had  signed  his  name  to  one  of  these 
documents ;  Shukri  Agha  had  also  written  a  letter,  but  it  was 
dictated  in  a  much  more  manly  tone,  telling  Selim  Bey  that 
we  were  waiting  at  Mazamboni's,  for  a  few  days,  till  he  should 
come  up ;  and  recommending  him  to  follow  us  as  fast  as  he 
could.  There  are  many  of  the  Pasha's  people  whom  we  should 
be  only  too  delighted  to  get  rid  of — e.g.,  Ali  Effendi,  an  old 
invalid,  who  can  never  walk  from  here  ;  and  whose  son-in-law 
and  friends  are  too  lazy,  and  too  selfish,  to  give  him  the  least 
assistance.  I  mentioned  to  Mr.  Stanley  that  it  would  be  wise 
to  disarm  all  the  Pasha's  people,  give  the  good  Kemington 
rifles  to  the  Manyuema,  and  the  Manyuema  muskets  to  the 
Pasha's  people.  The  latter  are  old  tower  muskets,  and  would 
not  be  so  dangerous  weapons  to  use  against  us — in  case  that 
these  soldiers  joined  with  those  who  were  now  coming  u^ 
behind  us,  and  tried  to  overcome  us  and  our  Expedition, 
Avhich  we  think  very  likely  to  happen  one  of  these  days. 
Our  leader,  however,  always  has  his  own  silent  plans ;  and 
seldom,  if  ever  wants  advice.  He  had  two  small  chickens 
to-day,  also  some  arrowroot,  porridge,  tea,  and  milk. 


422  .i:XPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.         [1889. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

FKOM   MAZAMBONI'S   TO    THE   ALBERT   EDWARD   NYANZA. 

Our  departure  from  Mazamboni's — Mr.  Stanley  much  improved  in  healtli — 
We  bury  some  surplus  Remington  ammunition — Ibrahim  Effendi  and 
other  Egyptians  return  to  Equatoria — Some  further  desertions — Jephson 
seriously  ill  with  fever — Dispersion  of  a  party  of  Kabba  Eega's  raiders — 
Their  tower-muskets — The  extremity  of  Lake  Albert  and.  junction  of 
the  Semliki  Eiver — Scarcitj^  of  natives  through  continual  raids  by  the 
Manyuema  and  Wara-Sura — "  The  Mountains  ot'  the  Moon" — Our  column 
on  the  march  is  an  imposing  sight — Mr,  Stanley  and  Lieutenant  Stairs 
join  my  fever  patients — -Saat  Tato  captures  a  canoe,  by  the  aid  of  which 
we  cross  the  Semliki  Eiver — Hostile  attitude  of  the  natives  —I  go 
through  the  rite  of  blood-brotherhood  with  Chief  Bakamuggar — Con- 
dition of  the  sick  otiicers — The  Wara-Sura  attack  us  while  transporting 
the  Expedition  across  the  Semliki — Heavy  rains — Death  of  two  of  our 
Manyuema — Enormous  banana  plantations — Pombe  made  from  bananas 
— We  obtain  a  beautiful  view  of  the  snow-clad  peaks  of  the  Euwenzori 
range — I  study  botany  with  the  Pasha — Encounter  with  a  party  of 
Kilonga  Longa's  Manyuema — Stairs'  boy  killed  and  some  Zanzibaris 
wounded — My  treatment  of  four  of  the  latter — The  Manyuema  recognise 

;  their  mistake  too  late — Slow  progress  of  our  column — Jephson's  condition 
causes  me  great  anxiety — Lieutenant  Stairs'  ascent  of  Euwenzori — I  am 
laid  up  with  African  fever — More  tricks  by  my  boy  Muftah — The  Pasha 
and  Mr.  Stanley  fall  out — First  sight  of  the  Albert  Edward  Nyanza — 
The  Salt  Lake  of  Mkiyo — Slabs  of  saline  deposit  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Lake — Dimensions  of  the  Salt  Lake — Colour  of  its  waters — Our  encamp- 
ment at  Katwd — Analysis  by  Sir  Charles  Cameron  of  Dublin  of  a 
specimen  of  the  Salt  Lake  water — We  enter  the  territory  of  Unyampaka 
— Cattle  raid  by  the  Wara-Sura  on  Irangara  Island — The  first  attempt 
Sit  alfresco  painting  seen  by  me  in  Africa — The  "Toro"  hills — Kabba 
Eega's  bodyguard,  called  Wara-Sura,  attack  us,  but  are  put  to  flight — 
We  come  upon  two  of  their  deserted  camps — Our  Wahuma  guides  leave 
us — The  shores  of  the  Albert  Edward  l^yanza  are  extremely  malarious, 
and  the  water  undrinkable — Many  cases  of  fever  in  the  camp — My 
pigmy  woman  is  a  useful  nurse — Uur  march  through  the  Toro  district — 
Eever  cases  still  on  the  increase — We  enter  the  country  of  Aukori. 

May  8. — We  left  Mazamboni's  at  6.30  a.m.,  and  marched 
through  a  very  rich  country,  Mith  plenty  of  bananas,  Indian 
corn,  beans,  &c.  At  the  end  of  throe  and  three-quarter  hours 
wo  camped.  Mazamboni's  people  came  all  the  way  with  us 
to  this  camp,  although  it  is  well  out  of  their  own  country  ;  and 
they  were  most  kind  and  assiduous  in  carrying  our  men's 
boxes  for  them  on  the  way. 


1889.]   MAZAMDONFS    TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA.    423 

Our  old  camp  was  burnt  by  the  rear-guard  before  clearing 
out.  Mr.  Stanley  now  appears  very  well ;  he  has  some  chicken 
the  first  thing  in  the  morning,  and  drinks  a  glass  of  milk. 
On  the  road,  he  drinks  either  water  or  milk.  On  arrival  in 
camp,  which  is  usually  about  11  a.m.,  he  gets  banana  porridge, 
prepared  by  boiling  banana  flour  with  milk ;  he  also  drinks 
some  milk.  During  the  day  he  has  a  cup  of  arrowroot,  and 
the  infusion  prepared  from  two  chickens.  He  is  carried  on  a 
stretcher  made  by  Jephson,  which  is  very  comfortable  and 
very  light ;  it  is  made  from  ox-hide  and  bamboo,  and  weighs 
about  fifteen  pounds — just  half  the  weight  of  the  "New 
Pattern  Stretcher  "  used  by  the  "  Medical  Staff  Corjis  "  of  the 
British  Army. 

Our  new  camping-ground  is  called  Bunyambiri.  We 
marched  about  5.f  miles  to-day,  and  had  a  good  view  of 
Ruwenzori  in  the  distance. 

Mat  9. — -Before  leaving  Mazamboni's  camp,  about  thirty- 
five  boxes  of  Remington  ammunition  were  buried  under  the 
floor  of  the  house  occupied  by  Stairs  and  Jephson,  close  to  a 
large  tree  near  the  river.  We  left  camp  to-day  at  5.30  a.m., 
and  marched  six  miles.  We  stopped  at  a  small  settlement  in 
a  large  ravine,  formed  by  the  approximation  of  two  mountain 
ranges — of  which  the  eastern  one  is  snow-capped  in  the 
distance — with  open  intervals  between  the  peaks,  through  which 
the  sky  can  be  seen.  The  natives  w^ere  friendly,  and  came 
in  to  speak  to  us.  Food  is  not  very  plentiful  in  this  vicinity ; 
the  natives  told  us  that  the  Manyuema  (Kilonga  Longa's 
party)  have  their  camp  situated  about  two  days  off,  and  have 
lately  been  making  raids  in  their  direction  ;  but  had  decamped 
hastily,  on  hearing  that  Bula  Matari  was  approaching. 

Ibrahim  Eftendi  came  to  me  last  night,  and  asked  me  to  go 
to  Mr.  Stanley  and  the  Pasha,  and  procure  carriers  for  him  to 
convey  his  father-in-law,  Ali  Effendi :  an  invalid  who  owes  his 
delicacy  of  health  entirely  to  his  own  indiscretions.  I  told  him 
that  he  had  already  been  supplied  with  carriers.  I  also  told  him 
that  unless  Ali  Eftendi  was  carried,  he  would  assuredly  die  on 
the  path,  as  he  was  unable  to  travel ;  and  furthermore,  that  his 
father-in-law's  blood  would  be  upon  his  head,  as  he  had  had  strong 
men-servants,  whom  he  allowed  to  desert.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, I  considered  that  the  best  advice  I  could  give  was  to 
recommend  that  Ali  Efi'endi  should  return  with  his  two  oflicers 


424  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

and  some  men  of  the  Pasha's,  who  had  caught  us  up  at  5  p.3I, 
yesterday,  and  who  belong  to  the  party  which  is  following  us.. 
Ibrahim  Eflendi  agreed  to  this,  and  it  even  seemed  to  be  what 
he  wanted.  He  begged  me  to  speak  to  the  Pasha  in  the  morning 
about  the  arrangement  I  suggested,  lest  he  should  be  annoyed. 
I  complied  with  his  request,  and  obtained  the  free  consent  of 
Emin  Pasha ;  Ali  Effendi  was  sent  to  retrace  his  steps,  and  we 
left  quietly  this  morning  to  proceed  in  the  opposite  direction. 

May  10. — We  left  camp  at  5 .  30  this  morning,  and  marched 
over  a  very  undulating  country.  Three  of  the  Pasha's  soldiers- 
deserted  last  night.  From  the  progress  of  the  desertions 
I  should  have  little  hesitation  in  prophesying  that  he 
will  eventually  be  left  alone;  still  he  continues  to  believe 
that  his  people  are  most  devoted  to  him,  as  they  constantly 
come  and  assure  him  of  their  intense  desire  to  accompany  him 
Avherever  he  may  choose  to  go. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  carried  every  day  on  the  march  in  his- 
hatanda  (stretcher  made  of  hide).  He  feels  fatigued  on 
arrival  at  camp  ;  still  he  is  improving.  We  camped  to-day 
about  11.30  A.M.;  after  a  march  of  five-and-a-half  miles,  up 
hill  and  down  hill. 

The  Pasha's  people  are  very  reckless  in  settling  down  for 
the  night ;  they  encamp  everywhere  all  over  the  district,  and 
expose  themselves  greatly — if  danger  were  around,  they  woukl 
form  an  easy  prey  indeed. 

Jeplison  is  very  feverish  and  almost  hysterical,  .having 
to  perform  these  marches  with  a  temperature  of  103°  F.,  or 
more. 

May  11. — We  left  camp  early  to-day.  Mr.  Stanley  feels 
much  better.  Jephson  is,  I  fear,  in  for  a  very  serious  illness ; 
when  he  arrived  in  camp  (at  2  p.m.)  his  temperature  was 
104°  F.,  and  he  looked  very  badly.  He  is  naturally  of  an 
anxious  temperament,  although  full  of  work  and  energy.  Ho 
now  thinks  that  the  fever  will  kill  him,  as  he  feels  that  he  is 
losing  his  senses ;  indeed,  he  is  bordering  on  delirium  from 
excessive  fever.  With  regard  to  high  temperatures,  I  do  not 
much  mind  that  now,  after  my  experiences  of  this  Expedition  : 
for  I  have  seen  every  officer  now  here  do  a  days  march  with 
a  temperature  of  over  105°  F. 

At  5  P.M.,  ]Mr.  Stanley  blew  his  whistle,  and  the  companies- 
all  fell  in,  with  their  respective  officers  in  front.     Nos.  1  and  2 


1880.]   MAZAMBONTS    TO   ALBERT  EDWABD   NYANZA.     425 

Companies  were  then  sent  off  with  Stairs  to  disperse  some  of 
Kabba  Eega's  raiders,  who  are  very  close  to  our  camp ;  Shukri 
Agha  was  also  sent  out  with  about  ten  of  the  Pasha's  people, 
and  the  flag  which  they  always  carry  with  them  as  a  talisman. 
The  enemy  immediately  retreated,  and  concealed  themselves 
in  the  long  grass.  They  have  muzzle-loaders  which  they  load 
with  bits  of  stone,  brass,  iron,  copper,  or  any  other  hard 
material  which  they  pick  up ;  these  irregularly-shaped  mis- 
siles generally  make  a  very  bad  wound.  Most  of  their 
weapons  are  small  tower-muskets.  When  the  pursuers  reached 
the  top  of  a  hill,  where  the  enemy  lay  in  ambush,  scattered 
about  in  the  long  grass,  a  fusilade  commenced  ;  and  one  man 
(Casati's  favourite  servant)  was  shot  through  the  head,  and 
killed  on  the  spot.  Two  of  the  Kabba  Kega  people  were  killed 
and  another  wounded.     Two  cows  were  captured. 

May  12. — I  was  up  twice  last  night  to  see  Jephson,  who  is 
really  in  a  very  serious  condition :  he  does  not  sleep  at  all. 
At  11  P.M.,  I  gave  him  half  a  grain  of  morphia ;  and  at  3  a.m. 
this  morning,  I  gave  him  a  large  dose  of  chloral  hydrate.  His 
fever  commences  to  rise  about  8 .  30  or  9  a.m.  Accordingly,  I 
give  him  thirty  grains  of  quinine  about  5.30  every  morning; 
in  spite  of  this,  however,  his  temperature  at  11 .  30  a.m.  was 
103°  F.,  and  at  4.45  p.m.,  104-2°  F.  For  the  last  week  I  have 
also  given  him  one  twenty-fifth  of  a  grain  of  arsenic,  three 
times  a  day. 

We  marched  about  four-and-a-half  miles  to-day,  along  a  very 
rough  path ;  and  from  our  camp,  which  is  close  to  a  banana  plan- 
tation, we  could  just  see  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Albert 
Nyanza,  with  a  long  plain  about  fifty  or  sixty  miles  in  length,  by 
thirty  in  breadth,  stretching  away  to  the  south-west.  It  at 
times  looked  as  if  there  was  water  spread  out  over  this  plain — 
like  a  mirage  effect ;  and  at  intervals  the  dry  land  was  dis- 
tinctly seen  :  no  appearance  of  water  beyond  the  edge  of  the 
lake  proper,  excepting  that  of  the  Semliki  Kiver,  which  runs 
into  the  southern  extremity  of  the  Albert.  This  j)lain  is 
studded  all  over  with  small  bush ;  and  from  this  mirage- 
effect  which  I  have  been  observing  to-day,  I  can  well 
understand  Sir  Samuel  Baker  when  standing  at  Vacovia, 
believing  the  Albert  stretched  "illimitably"  to  the  south-west; 
the  plain  at  times  having  all  the  optical  appearance  of  a  water- 
surface,  with  the  increased  effect  of  its  glistening  streak  of  the 


426  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

shining  stream  of  the  Semliki  Eiver,  flowing  throngh  it  on  its 
way  to  the  lake. 

The  name  of  this  phice  is  Mboga,  another  small  settlement 
on  the  west  is  called  Uhopo,  and  the  part  of  the  plain  just 
beneath  us  is  called  Kiryuama.  Katonza,  a  friendly  chief, 
has  his  country  on  the  plain  below,  not  far  from  us.  There 
seems  to  be  very  little  food  about  these  settlements ;  this 
fact  is  owing,  I  presume,  to  the  destructive  raids  of  Kabba 
Rega,  King  of  Unyoro,  who  has  a  force  armed  with  upwards 
of  2000  rifles — considerably  more  than  even  that  of  the 
standing  army  of  Uganda.  Kilonga  Longa's  Manyuema 
came  to  a  market-place,  a  few  miles  from  here,  on  a  market- 
day,  surrounded  the  market,  shot  a  great  many  of  the  market- 
people,  made  prisoners  of  the  rest,  and,  of  course,  scared 
the  poor  country  people  quite  out  of  their  settlements. 
Accordingly,  we  see  very  few  natives  about  these  parts — 
only  a  few  now  and  again,  and  these  always  posted  at  a 
respectful  distance ;  sitting  on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  a  long 
w^ay  off. 

May  13. — Jephson's  temperature  was  104°  F.  last  night,  and  I 
found  it  the  same  this  morning,  although  I  had  given  him  forty 
grains  of  quinine  at  a  very  early  hour.  At  noon  his  tempera- 
ture was  103*4°  F.,  and  I  gave  him  another  dose  of  quinine.  He 
had  a  tepid  bath  soon  afterwards,  and,  after  another  short  in- 
terval, two  grains  of  opium  were  administered  ;  which  had  the 
effect  of  producing  a  little  sleep,  and  lessening  the  intense 
lumbar  pain.  In  the  evening  his  temperature  was  104°  F.  I 
then  gave  him  another  tepid  bath,  and  douched  his  head  well 
with  cold  water,  which  gave  him  some  relief.  I  gave  him  two 
Livingstone  rousers  at  4  p.m. 

We  remained  in  camp  all  day  ;  the  men  wont  out  to  search 
for  food — in  two  detachments :  one  in  the  early  morning,  led 
by  Stairs ;  the  other  at  noon,  with  Nelson. 

May  14. — A\^e  started  early  this  morning,  and  marched 
eastwards  for  about  six  miles,  along  the  low  lands.  Wc  halted 
about  10 .  30  A.M.,  in  a  region  rich  in  bananas. 

Jcphson  slept  a  little  last  night.  I  gave  him  thirty  grains 
of  quinine  early  in  the  morning.  His  temperature  at  5 .  30  a.m. 
was  102°  F. ;  at  3  p.m.,  it  was  103°  F.  I  gave  him  forty  drops  of 
chlorodyno  to-day,  and  in  lialf  an  hour  he  burst  into  a  profuse 
perspiration. 


1889.]    MAZAMBONrS   TO   ALBERT  EDWAllD   NYANZA.     427 

Stairs  had  fever  when  he  returned  to  camp  last  night ;  his 
temperature  was  down  to  normal  in  the  morning,  and  I  gave 
him  twenty  grains  of  quinine,  but  the  fever  returned  this 
afternoon.  This  is  a  very  feverish  locality,  as  we  are  in  a 
position  to  receive  the  miasma  from  the  low  swampy  plains  of 
the  Semliki  valley.  Several  of  our  men  are  now  down  with 
fever. 

Jephson  had  a  very  profuse  sweat  last  night.  I  gave  him, 
very  early  in  the  morning,  thirty  grains  of  quinine  dissolved 
in  citric  acid.  At  7  a.m.  I  gave  him  a  tabloid  of  camphor  and 
opium. 

I  gave  Stairs  some  calomel  and  podophyllin  last  night,  as 
his  temperature  was  high.  After  I  had  given  him  his  dose  of 
quinine  to-day  (twenty  grains),  his  temperature  began  to  run 
up  rapidly,  and  he  became  intensely  bilious. 

This  morning  Nelson  went  to  the  river  with  his  company,  to 
try  and  get  canoes  for  our  transport  across  the  stream.  About 
100  natives  also  accompanied  him.  Half  of  No.  1  Company 
went  in  another  direction  ;  with  the  double  object  of  capturing 
canoes,  and  procuring  a  supply  of  food.  We  stayed  here  to-day, 
as  the  place  is  Avealthy  in  bananas,  and  every  individual  has 
been  instructed  to  prepare  five  days'  rations — to  live  on  till 
we  arrive  at  another  hospitable  locality. 

This  country  is  very  hilly  ;  the  long  broad  plain  below — the 
former  lake-bed — ^now  studded  with  trees  and  bush,  extends 
to  the  Unyoro  hills  on  the  east.  These  latter  are  a  continua- 
tion of  the  Euwenzori  range.  The  snow-capped  peaks  of 
the  latter — the  "  Mountains  of  the  Moon  "  {Monies  Lunse)  of 
Ptolemy  and  Herodotus — were  believed  by  the  former  Avriter 
to  be  the  primary  source  of  the  giant  stream  of  the  Nile. 

Our  column  on  the  march  forms  a  very  imposing  sight,  and 
covers  about  two-and-a-half  miles  of  path,  as  it  moves  along  in 
close  file  :  I  should  say  that  between  whites,  Wangwana, 
Manyuema,  the  Pasha's  people  and  their  servants,  and  numer- 
ous camp  followers,  it  numbers  about  1200  souls. 

Jephson's  temperature  at  2  p.m.  to-day  was  101*8^  P.;  at 
4  P.M.  it  had  reached  103^  P.  I  then  gave  him  half  a  bottle  of 
Warburg's  tincture  ;  I  gave  him  the  second  half  at  7  p.m. 

Stairs'  temperature  at  2  p.m.  was  105°  P.  I  then  gave 
him  some  pilocarpine  hypodermically,  and  it  went  down  to 
103  •  6^  P.     He  is  now,  I  am  glad  to  say,  perspiring  profusely. 


428  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL  AFRICA.         [1889. 

May  15.— .    .    .    . 

May  16. — At  8.30  p.m.  last  eyening,  Stairs'  temperature 
was  normal ;  at  9  p.m.  a  shivering  fit  came  on,  and  the  tem- 
perature again  ran  up — the  paroxysm  lasting  till  4  a.m.  this 
morning.  The  fever  then  subsided,  and  he  took  an  entire 
bottle  of  Warburg's  tincture.  The  fever,  however,  returned  at 
7.30  A.M.,  but  the  paroxysm  did  not  last  so  long,  nor  was  the 
temperature  so  high.  He  had  some  distressing  bilious  vomit- 
ing, and  he  is  slightly  jaundiced.  He  drinks  large  quantities 
of  tamarind-water,  which  has  a  refreshing,  acid  taste.  I  gave 
him  calomel  and  podophyllin  last  night. 

Jephson's  temperature  was  over  103°  F.  last  night.  Yesterday 
I  gave  him  half  a  bottle  of  Warburg's  tincture  at  4  p.m.,  and 
the  other  half  at  7  p.m.  At  7 .  30  a.m.,  this  morning  his  tem- 
perature was  102-8°  F. ;  at  9.30  a.m., it  had  fallen  one  degree. 
At  8 .  30  I  gave  him  two  arsenical  tabloids  (one  twenty-fiftli 
of  a  grain  each). 

Mr.  Stanley  consulted  me  yesterday ;  he  was  suffering 
from  gastric  pain,  and  felt  feverish.  At  10  a.m.,  I  found  his 
temperature  100°  F. ;  at  5  p.m.,  it  was  102°  F.  I  sincerely 
hope  that  he  is  not  going  to  have  another  severe  attack  like 
his  last ;  if  he  does,  I  will  be  in  a  terrible  difiiculty,  and 
he  cannot  do  so  well ;  as  I  have  finished  all  the  morphine 
belonging  to  the  Expedition  stores,  and  it  is  the  only  thing 
which  gives  relief  from  these  gastric  pains  from  which  he 
suffers  so  much. 

Stairs,  who  went  with  a  reconnoitring  party  to  the  Semliki 
river  yesterday  morning,  returned  to-day,  reporting  :  that  the 
river  was  from  sixty  to  eighty  yards  in  width,  that  he  could 
find  no  canoes,  and  that  he  had  been  fired  at  by  the  Wara-Sura, 
who  were  armed  with  both  rifles  and  arrows. 

Mr.  Stanley's  temperature  is  99°  F.  this  evening  ;  he,  how- 
ever, still  suffers  from  the  localised  pain.  I  again  examined 
him,  but  tliere  was  no  evidence  on  the  surface  of  anything  going 
wrong  within  ;  there  was  slight  tenderness  on  pressure,  and  on 
percussion  ;  the  spleen  was  very  slightly  tender,  but  notaj)pre- 
ciably  enlarged.  Ho  had  a  very  restless  night.  He  took  some 
vegetables  to-day,  which  had  been  boiled  in  veal-broth  and 
then  strained  off. 

May  17, — We  marched  early  this  morning,  and  travelled 
about  eight  miles,  along  a  very  low  plain.    The  sun  was  burn- 


1889.]    MAZAMBONVS    TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA.    429 

ing-  hot  all  the  time.  We  reached  the  Semliki  Eiver  about 
11  A.M.,  and  found  this  part  of  the  stream  about  forty  or 
fifty  yards  wide,  and  with  a  rapid  current — it  is  forty-eight 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  Albert  Nyanza;  it  is  four  feet 
deep  for  about  three-fourths  of  the  breadth,  and  about  nine 
feet  deep  in  the  central  fourth.  Just  as  we  arrived,  we  saw 
a  canoe  floating  down  stream,  but  were  unable  to  get  at 
it.  Two  parties  were  then  sent  off :  one  up  the  river,  and  the 
other  down.  There  is  no  way  of  crossing  the  stream,  except 
we  set  to  work  and  make  a  "  dug-out "  for  ourselves ;  which 
represents  a  great  deal  of  time  and  trouble.  Accordingly,  Saat 
Tato  and  Uledi  very  pluckily  swam  across  the  river  and  captured 
a  canoe.  The  natives,  however,  on  seeing  their  design,  let  fly 
large  numbers  of  arrows  at  them.  They  succeeded  in 
capturing  the  canoe;  but  Saat  Tato  received  a  deep  arro\\- 
wound,  over  the  left  shoulder-blade. 

We  now  formed  camp,  and  fifty  men  were  sent  across  the 
river,  under  command  of  Bonny,  to  occupy  the  opposite  side 
and  drive  away  the  natives,  who  appeared  to  be  viciously 
disposed. 

Yesterday,  I  had  to  perform  the  ceremony  of  blood-brother- 
hood with  the  chief  who  had  come  with  us  to  show  us  the 
road.  His  name  is  Bakamuggar.  The  ceremony  consisted  in 
sitting  down  on  the  ground,  face  to  face,  with  extended  legs — 
my  right  leg  was  placed  over  his  left,  and  his  right  over  my 
left.  Murabo  then  incised  us — two  small  cuts  over  the  knee 
in  each  case.  He  next  put  a  little  salt  jnto  the  wounds  of 
'each;  then  took  a  leaf,  on  which  he  removed  some  of  the 
native's  blood  to  rub  on  my  wounds,  andi,^'^ce  versa.  During 
the  performance,  he  made  signs  like  a  conjuror,  and  uttered 
several  mysterious  sentences.  The  burden  of  one  was,  "  May 
all  your  children,  goats  and  fowls,  die  of  an  evil  disease 
if  this  vow  of  friendship  be  ever  broken  through  your  fault." 
I  was  obliged  to  give  my  new  "  brother  "  a  cow,  and  he  was 
to  have  given  me  one  in  return,  to  complete  the  bond  of 
blood-brotherhood.  I  gave  him  mine,  but,  as  he  had  not  one 
with  him  to  present  to  me,  he  asked  Emin  Pasha  for  a  calf, 
which  was  at  once  brought  him,  to  be  handed  over  to  me. 
With  genuine  African  trickery,  he  then  sent  off  both  cow  and 
-calf  to  his  home,  and  gave  me  nothing  ;  although  he  had 
himself  impressed  upon  me  that  the  exchange  on  both  sides 


430  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

was  absolutely  necessary  to  complete  the  ceremony,  and  make 
it  a  genuine  bond  of  friendship. 

Mr.  Stanley,  Stairs  and  Jephson,  are  all  three  very  seedy 
with  fever,  and  had  to  be  carried  on  the  march  to-day.  We 
camped  in  a  bad  place — a  plantation  grove,  close  to  the  river. 
A  road  has  been  cut  through  to  the  river,  and  everything  got 
in  readiness  for  transporting  the  entire  column  across  the 
stream  to-morrow.  The  natives  attempted  to  attack  us,  and 
continued  prowling  about  during  the  night ;  so  that  there  was 
shooting  going  on  from  time  to  time  all  through  the  earlier  part 
of  the  night,  and  towards  morning ;  till  at  last  they  appeared 
to  grow  tired  of  the  effort.  The  Pasha's  people  and  the 
Manyuema  are  very  fond  of  firing  off  their  ammunition  into 
the  air,  so  as  to  deter  the  natives  from  attacking,  and  this  kept 
up  the  noise — longer,  perhaps,  than  it  was  really  necessary. 

Stairs  has  very  high  fever  to-night. 

May  18. — Stairs'  temperature  is  normal  this  morning; 
Jephson's  is  still'  high,  and  he  is  very  poorly.  On  getting 
ready  for  the  start.  Nelson  took  charge  of  one  ferry,  and  I 
managed  the  other.  We  had  two  canoes,  and  we,  fortunately, 
were  the  only  two  Europeans  who  were  not  prostrated  by 
sickness.  We  were  hard  at  work  getting  the  Expedition 
across  the  river — men,  women,  children,  provisions,  animals, 
&c.,  &c. — when,  about  2  p.m.,  a  party  of  Kabba  Eega's  Wara- 
Sura  (sharp-shooters),  with  about  fifty  or  sixty  rifles,  crept 
down  close  to  us  in  the  bush,  and  poured  forth  a  volley  at  the 
canoes,  without,  however,  injuring  any  one.  The  Zanzibaris 
immediately  fell  in,  attacked  them,  and  drove  them  away. 
Nelson  pursued  them,  chasing  them  in  all  directions  through 
the  long  grass  for  about  a  couple  of  hours.  They  had  a 
standard-bearer  with  them. 

May  19. — xVt  an  early  hour  this  morning,  we  recommenced 
the  transport  of  our  people  and  loads  across  the  river.  This 
was  completed  at  about  9.30  a.m.,  when  about  120  head  of 
oxen  were  driven  into  the  river  and  swam  across.  Nelson  and 
I  went  across  in  the  last  canoe-trip,  at  11  a.m.  ;  Mr.  Stanley 
had  crossed  at  8  a.m.  We  had  made  185  trips  across  the  river 
with  the  canoes  :  conveying  1168  human  beings,  and  GIO  loads 
— this  was  not  bad  work  for  a  day  and  a  half,  as  we  had  but 
three  small  canoes,  each  able  to  accommodate  but  six  persons — 
in  addition  to  the  two  pole-men. 


1889.]   MAZAMBONFS    TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA.     431 

When  all  Lad  readied  tlie  opposite  side,  the  canoes  were 
broken  up ;  the  material  helping-  in  the  formation  of  a  boma 
around  our  new  camp.  Bonny  found  two  doti  (about  seven 
yards  each)  of  americani  (calico)  in  one  of  the  huts  here,  so 
that  the  natives  must  have  communicated  with  the  Arabs  in 
some  way. 

Mr.  Stanley  had  some  beef  to-day,  for  the  first  time  since 
leaving  the  Albert  Nyanza. 

May  20. — We  marched  early  this  morning,  and  halted,  after 
a  march  of  five  miles,  in  a  village  where  there  were  plenty  of 
bananas.  I  was  sent  off  with  a  party,  to  find  a  road  to  the 
south,  or  a  little  to  east  of  south.  I  did  succeed  in  finding  a 
tolerably  good  one,  and  returned  about  4.30  a.m.  The  sole 
came  off  one  of  my  boots  on  the  way :  I  would  now  willingly 
give  £200  for  a  good  pair  of  boots,  if  both  items  of  the  bargain 
were  forthcoming.  On  my  return,  Mr.  Stanley  presented  me 
with  a  pair  of  scarlet  breeches. 

Stairs  and  Jephson  are  now  both  doing  fairly  well.  The 
latter  takes  thirty  grains  of  quinine  every  morning  and 
evening.  It  is  very  heavy  marching  this,  along  the  Semliki 
valley,  as  the  ground  is  very  boggy  and  damp. 

Ma¥  21. — I  remained  in  camp  all  day  to-day.  Jephson's 
temperature  has  been  normal  since  last  night ;  Captain  Casati 
has  a  congested  spleen,  and  Emin  Pasha  a  colic.  We  weighed 
Jephson  to-day :  he  made  132  lbs. ;  fifty  days  ago — on  the 
1st  of  April — he  weighed  150^  lbs: 

A  boy  came  to  us  to-day  offering  to  sell  a  knife;  it  had 
engraved  on  it  the  names  of  Alf  and  Alb  Schnitzler,  Soningen. 
The  name  is  suggestive  of  relatives  of  Emin  Pasha. 

Jephson's  temperature  continues  normal  this  evening. 

May  22. — Heavy  rain  fell  in  the  early  morning,  till 
5 .  30  A.M.  We  marched  at  6  a.m.  We  followed  a  line  a  little 
to  the  west  of  south,  till  12.30:  through  bush  and  banana 
tongoni  (deserted  clearings).  Nelson  did  not  reach  camp,  as 
he  was  with  the  rear-guard.  Very  heavy  rain  fell  in  the 
afternoon.  We  camped  in  a  village.  Stairs  is  doing  well, 
and  is  able  to  walk  to-day.  Jephson's  temperature  continues 
normal.  Bonny  had  an  attack  of  intermittent  fever  yesterday, 
but  appears  all  right  to-day. 

May  23. — Nelson  did  not  reach  camp  last  night,  so  Stairs 
left  with  his  company  this  morning  to  bring  up  the  rear-guard ; 


432  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

but  Nelson  just  arrived  as  lie  was  starting.  We  marched 
early,  and  stopped  after  three  miles'  progress  through  a  very 
bad  bush,  which  gave  us  great  trouble.  The  rear  of  our 
column  is  some  hours  behind,  and  it  is  really  very  rough  on 
Nelson  and  Stairs  having  to  remain  out — sometimes  all  night 
— to  take  care  of  the  fugitives  who  are  following  the  Pasha  to 
the  coast.  Such  perfect  human  rubbish  I  have  never  had  an 
opportunity  of  observing  before. 

We  are  now  near  the  base  of  the  Euwenzori  range  ;  the  bush 
extends  up  its  sides  for  a  very  considerable  distance. 

May  24. — The  anniversary  of  the  Queen's  birthday.  Long- 
may  her  gracious  Majesty  live !  She  is  well  known  to  the 
Zanzibaris  as  "  The  Bebe  "  or  mother,  in  honour  of  whom  we 
have  a  holiday  in  camp  to-day,  and  all  our  men  are  getting 
each  a  full  ration  of  meat.  It  now  takes  ten  cows  to  give  all 
the  members  of  our  cumbrous  expedition  a  ration.  It  was 
exactly  on  this  day  twelvemonth  that  we  left  the  Pasha  and 
Jephson  at  the  lake,  and  that  was  the  second  visit ;  it  was 
only  when  a  third  visit  had  been  paid  them  that  the  Pasha 
and  a  few  of  his  people  decided  that  they  were  of  the  opinion 
that,  taking  one  consideration  with  another,  their  Equatorial 
lot  was  not  a  happy  one,  and  they  wished  to  come  out  to  the 
€oast — possibly  with  some  mental  reservation.  The  Albert 
Nyanza  was  first  reached  on  the  13th  of  December,  1887  ; 
in  May,  1889  the  Pasha  and  his  people  came  away — so  that 
we  had  spent  a  year  and  five  months  awaiting  their  pleasure 
to  say  whether  they  were  to  stay  or  go.  Our  own  staying 
powers  were  pretty  fully  exercised  in  the  interval. 

We  are  five  miles  from  the  base  of  the  Kuwenzori  range, 
and  have  an  excellent  view  from  here  of  the  snow-clad  peaks. 

We  marched  early  this  morning,  and  had  a  good  path 
through  the  forest  till  8 .  30  A.M. ;  when  we  reached  a  swamp. 
Having  cleared  this  obstruction,  we  pitched  camp  in  a  village 
-oi  sixty  or  seventy  huts,  built  on  the  Unyoro  plan — largo  anil 
circular,  with  conical  roofs. 

May  25.— .    .    .    . 

May  26. — Wo  marched  to-day  over  a  very  undulating 
<!ountry,  and  halted  to  camp  in  the  open,  at  1) .  30  a.m.  One 
of  the  Manyuema  died  on  the  road  this  morning.  He  had 
been  suffering  from  pneumonia  since  the  19th.  Also  another 
Manyuema,  who  had  been  wounded  behind  the  left  shoulder 


1889.]   MAZAMBONFS    TO 

with  an  iron  arrow,  when   wandering  abont  forty  yards  from 
camp. 

This  part  of  the  conn  try  is  entirely  covered  over  with 
enormous  banana  plantations — enough  to  feed  an  army  corps 
for  months.  The  natives  can  never  manage  to  eat  them  all ; 
they  make  plenty  of  pomhe,  which  requires  great  quantities  of 
ripe  bananas.  This  is  a  very  pleasant,  cool,  acid,  non-intoxi- 
cating drink ;  and  very  suitable  to  the  uses  of  this  climate  : 
its  manufacture  consumes  a  large  proportion  of  the  bananas  of 
these  regions. 

Jephson's  temperature  has  now  been  normal  for  some  time, 
and  he  is  picking  up.  Poor  fellow  !  he  has  lately  been  several 
times  at  death's  door.  Mr.  Stanley  continues  to  improve  ; 
Stairs  is  also  getting  stronger.  Nelson  has  improved  wonder- 
fully since  he  has  had  meat. 

We  got  hold  of  a  few  natives  to-day,  but  there  is  no  one 
amongst  us  who  can  speak  to  them  in  their  own  language. 
This  is  a  beautiful  rich  country  ;  the  grass  is  short  and  green, 
and  everything  grows  with  such  profusion.  Our  caravan  is  so 
large  that  we  rarely  shoot  game,  as  they  are  frightened  away. 

May  27. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day.  There  is  a 
beau-tiful  view  of  the  snow-clad  peaks  of  the  Kuwenzori  range 
from  here.  It  runs  from  north-east  to  south-west ;  its  southern 
extremity  is  now  about  twenty  miles  from  us.  The  mountain 
side  is  covered  with  vegetation,  to  a  height  of  about  10,000 
feet ;  with  a  good  many  trees,  and  a  rich  growth  of  bush 
in  places.  It  is  fissured  all  over  with  ravines.  The  summit 
is  nearly  always  covered  with  clouds  except  in  the  early 
morning — up  to  6.30  a.m. — when  the  sun's  heat  begins  to 
be  strongly  felt,  and  the  moisture  rises  rapidly  from  the 
plains  and  valleys  by  evaporation.  The  district  about  the 
foot  of  the  mountain  is  a  very  foggy  one — not  unlike  what 
may  very  often  be  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Hyde  Park  Corner. 

My  boy  Muftah  left  my  last  remaining  pair  of  good  stockings 
behind  in  yesterday's  camp.  I  feel  boiling  over  with  wrath 
against  him,  but  cannot  do  anything ;  if  I  beat  him,  he 
immediately  runs  off  to  Mr.  Stanley,  who  will  probably  appro- 
priate him ;  if  I  bring  him  to  Mr.  Stanley  myself,  he  will  not 
punish  him,  but  will  perhaps  give  him  a  load  to  carry ;  in 
either  case,  I  shall  probably  get  a  "  goee-goee  "  in  exchange, 
for  our  chief  is  invariably  predisposed  to  the  black  man. 

2  F 


434  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

The  name  of  the  ph\ce  where  we  have  camped  to-day  is  Atoso. 
Enormous  banana  groves  cover  the  face  of  the  soil  as  far  as 
the  eye  can  reach. 

I  studied  a  little  botany  with  Emin  Pasha  to-day.  He  has 
identified  the  leaves  Avith  which  the  natives  thatched  their  huts 
(and  we  ours)  in  the  forest,  as  ijhrynium  ramosissimum.  We 
constantly  apply  to  the  Pasha  to  name  certain  plants,  insects, 
birds  or  reptiles,  and  never  have  seen  him  hesitate  to  give  a 
classical-sounding  name,  Avhich  seemed  to  have  a  proper  scien- 
tific intonation — at  least  to  those  who  know  but  little  about 
such  subjects.     None  of  us  are  in  a  position  to  contradict  him. 

May  28.— .    .    .    . 

May  29. — We  marched  early  to  a  small  village,  where  we 
found  an  old  man  in  feeble  condition,  whom  we  fed  and 
set  free. 

Great  quantities  of  pumpkins  grow  here,  the  young  leaves 
•of  which  make  a  very  good  mboga  (spinach).  There  are  great 
numbers  of  bananas,  as  in  every  other  district  of  this  part  of 
the  country,  and  not  many  plantains.  In  Kiswahili  the 
banana  is  called  hipolmso,  and  the  plantain  ndesi.  We  are 
making  very  slow  and  short  marches,  compared  with  what  we 
have  been  accustomed  to  ;  so  that  the  Pasha's  people  may  not 
be  rushed  too  much  at  first. 

May  30. — We  started  early,  and  marched  till  11  a.m. 
Jephson,  I  am  glad  to  say,  was  able  to  walk  all  the  way. 
Stairs  is  now  less  troubled  with  pain.  But  Mr.  Stanley  has 
developed  high  fever,  and  is  looking  really  badly ;  he  also  still 
complains  of  that  median  abdominal  pain  below  the  umbilicus. 

Our  new  camp  was  on  the  outskirts  of  a  very  large  banana 
plantation.  Some  of  the  men,  accordingly,  strayed  off  by 
themselves  for  food ;  when  one  Manyuema  presently  returned 
with  a  tower-musket,  and  said  that  Kabba  Eega's  Wara-Sura, 
or  sharp-shooters,  were  close  by,  and  had  fired  on  our 
men ;  but  that  he  had  succeeded  in  killing  one,  and  had  now 
brought  back  his  rifle.  On  hearing  this  news,  Mr.  Stanley 
immediately  blew  his  whistle,  upon  which  all  the  companies 
immediately  fell  in.  No.  1  Company,  under  Stairs,  was  at 
once  dispatched  to  see  who  those  people  with  the  tower- 
muskets  were,  and  to  approach  them  quietly  and  cautiously ; 
as  a  native  woman  had  already  told  us  that  the  people  located 
in  this  neighbourhood  were  Wangwana.     No.  1  started  along 


1889.]   MAZAMBONFS    TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA.    435 

a  path  to  the  south-west,  when  they  "were  suddenly  fired  upon 
by  a  party  of  Manyuema,  belonging  to  Kilonga  Longa.  The 
wretches  had  concealed  themselves  in  the  grass.  The  volley 
killed  one  of  our  Manyuema,  and  mortally  wounded  Stairs' 
Zanzibar!  boy,  Farragalah;  who  had  saved  Stairs'  life  many  a 
time  in  the  forest,  by  sharing!  his  food  with  his  master.  The 
latter  died  at  midnight,  from  the  effects  of  his  wounds.  He  had 
received  two  penetrating  wounds  through  the  right  chest,  and 
two  through  the  right  side  of  the  abdomen.  The  upper 
abdominal  wound  was  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length;  and  a 
huge  hernia  rapidly  protruded  through  it,  covered  by  a  fold 
of  omentum.  Ftecal  matter  escaped  through  the  lower  one. 
Both  of  the  abdominal  slugs  had  passed  out  behind — over 
the  crest  of  the  ilium.  Four  other  men  were  also  badly 
wounded : 

1.  Uledi  Saadi,  of  No.  1  Company.  A  slug  penetrated  the 
right  arm  behind,  a  little  above  the  elbow-joint :  fracturing 
the  trochlear  surface  of  the  articular  end  of  the  humerus, 
comminuting  the  olecranon  process  and  the  whole  of  the 
greater  sigmoid  cavity,  and  tearing  away  a  great  part  of  the 
surrounding  flesh.  The  ulnar  artery  and  nerve  were,  fortu- 
nately, untouched.  I  resected  the  [elbow-joint.  He  had  still 
retained,  after  the  injury,  some]power  of  pronation  and  supina- 
tion, with  some  movements  of  the  fingers.  I  used  a  solution  of 
potassium  permanganate  as  an  antiseptic  lotion,  applied  dress- 
ings and  bandages,  and  put  up  4he  joint  in  a  slightly  angular 
splint. 

[Had  this  man  been  a  European  I  would  have  preferred 
amputation  under  the  circumstances  :  but  the  Zanzibaris  have 
such  wonderful  power  of  repair  ofi  wounds,  that  I  hoped  he 
would  recover  a  lair  use  of  the  limb;  and  the  event  justified 
the  anticipation.  He  progressed  most  favourably,  and  with 
the  greatest  rapidity ;  in  'six  weeks  he  carried  his  box  as 
before,  and  was  able  to  use  the  right  arm  almost  as  fully  as  the 
other :  moving  it  about  in  all  directions,  and  touching  the  top 
of  his  head,  and  the  opposite  shoulder,  without  difficulty.  So 
that  both  he  and  I  had  every  reason  to  be  gratified  with  the 
result.] 

2.  Khamis  Unyamwezi,  of  No.  1  Company.  This  man 
received  a  penetrating  flesh  wound  in, the  left  axilla ;  also  a 
large  flesh  wound  of  the  inner  side  of  the  left  arm,  exposing — 

2  F  2 


436  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.         [iS&X 

but  not  injuring — the  brachial  artery  and  veins,  which  could  be 
seen  pulsating  within  their  sheaths. 

[This  man  made  an  excellent  recovery  under  treatment.] 
o.  Achmed   Bin    Sulieman.      A   flesh-wound   of  the   right 
shoulder,  and  an  abrasion  of  the  left  cheek.     [Recovered.] 

4.  Ali  Nyadi,  one  of  the  boatmen.  An  abrasion  of  the  fore- 
head :  not  dangerous. 

Several  other  men  received  small  abrasions,  mostly  produced 
by  nnexploded  gunpowder :  all  of  whom  Ave  re  provided  with 
dressings,  and  a  "  Livingstone  rouser  "  each. 

While  the  fusilade  was  going  on  at  that  short  distance, 
Mr.  Stanley  ordered  the  officers  and  men  who  were  in  the 
camp,  to  hastily  pile  up  the  ammunition  boxes  and  everything 
else  we  could  lay  hands  on,  so  as  to  make  a  barricade,  from 
behind  which  we  could  fire  on  the  enemy  with  some  effect. 
The  shooting  was  very  quick  and  sharj),  so  that  we  thought  we 
had  an  active  and  powerful  enemy  to  deal  with.  Just  as  our 
wounded  men  were  being  carried  into  camp,  some  of  our  men 
recognised  the  Manyuema,  and  shouted  "  cease  fire  ;  "  and  the 
call  had  the  desired  effect,  for  the  enemy  saw  at  once  that 
they  had  made  a  mistake.  Some  of  them  then  came  up  to 
our  camp,  and  we  all  recognised  them  at  once  as  Kilonga 
Longa's  ruga-ruga.  They  were  in  search  of  ivory,  and  had 
mistaken  us  for  Kabba  Eega'sWara-Sura,  and  acted  accordingly. 
After  some  hours  about  i  forty  more  of  them  arrived.  They 
then  brought  in  goats  and  sheep,  as  presents  to  Mr.  Stanley ; 
who,  in  turn,  offered  a  gift  of  two  cows,  and  returned  the  tower- 
musket  which  liad  been  taken. 

May  31. — New  moon  to-day.  About  one  hundred  Many- 
uema visited  our  camp,  and  exchanged  many  things  with  our 
people — chickens,  rice,  cloth,  &c.,  &c. 

June  1. — Wo  again  remained  in  camp  to-day ;  so  that  -the 
people  might  prepare  food  for  three  days.  All  the  wounded 
men  have  normal  temperatures,  and  there  is  very  little 
suppuration.  I  use  the  solution  of  potassium  permanganate 
to  the  wounded  surfaces,  and  boil  tlie  bandages  before  re- 
applying them  ;  there  are  so  few  that  I  cannot  afford  to  throw 
away  any,  and  many  of  those  I  have  are  made  from  old 
pyjamas  and  shirts. 

June  2. — We  marched  this  morning  at  an  early  hour,  and 
did  about  eight  miles.     Our  way  was  througli  an  open  country 


1889.]    MAZAMDONFS    TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA.    437 

till  about  10  A.M.,  when  we  entered  a  dense  bush,  in  which  wo 
camped  before  penetrating  very  far. 

Alas  !  the  last  leg  of  my  last  smart  pair  of  pyjamas — which 
I  was  carefully  keeping  as  a  "  banderrah "  (flag)  for  my 
comjiany,  so  that  we  might  be  able  to  make  a  respectably 
triumphant  entry  into  Bagamoyo — has  to-day  been  consigned 
to  Hari's  care,  as  dressing  for  the  wounded. 

June  3. — We  started  at  daybreak  this  morning,  and 
marched  till  10  a.m.,  when  we  halted  for  the  day  in  a  village. 
We  travelled  along  a  circuitous  path  ;  which  sometimes  dipped 
into  a  ravine  of  100  feet  in  depth,  and  with  a  steep — almost 
vertical — facing  to  be  climbed  on  the  opposite  side.  In  these 
hollow  places  of  our  journey,  many  superfluous  articles  of 
baggage  and  rare  collections  of  curios,  were  sacrificed  for  ever 
to  the  exigencies  of  the  moment ;  and  irrecoverably  lost  to  the 
calls  of  future  comfort,  and  of  future  science,  respectively. 
Then  the  path  would  turn  in  a  direction  leading  along  a  ridge 
placed  between  two  of  these  fissures,  where  in  many  places  its 
breadth  would  dwindle  down  to  a  measurement  of  two  feet ; 
and  along  which  our  voluminous  expedition  could  advance 
with  difficulty  in  single  file.  Progress  was,  under  these  circum- 
stances, necessarily  slow. 

During  the  past  few  days  we  have  crossed,  or  rather  waded 
through,  several  mountain  streams  of  considerable  volume, 
and  with  water  of  the  purest  crystal,  meandering  along  at  a 
temperature  of  (usually)  61°  F. 

Mr.  Stanley  had  fever  last  night.  Jephson  is  again  down 
with  fever — temperature  102°  F.  on  yesterday,  and  higher  to- 
day ;  Nelson  has  a  bad  stomach-ache ;  and  the  Pasmi  has  had 
his  shin  badly  barked. 

Stairs  has  been  suffering  from  his  ear,  and  came  to  me  at 
I  A.M.,  this  morning,  to  ask  me  to  give  him  something  to 
relieve  the  intense  ear-ache,  which  entirely  prevented  his 
sleeping :  syringing,  however  gently  done,  greatly  increases 
the  pain. 

We  have  now  come  to  a  slight  bend  in  the  mountain  range ; 
up  to  the  present,  it  ran  to  the  south-west ;  for  the  next  couple 
of  days  it  will  be  almost  due  south.  All  the  villages  are 
deserted,  probably  on  account  of  the  fact  that  these  detestable 
Manyuema  are  hovering  about  in  the  neighbourhood,  seeking 
whom  they  may  devour. 


438  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFIilCA.  [1889. 

Jujs^E  4. — We  marched  early  this  morning,  crossed  a  small 
river,  and  halted  for  the  day  (at  10  p.m.)  in  a  small  village. 

Jephson's  temperature  was  102°  F.  this  morning  ;  in  the 
evening  it  was  104°,  Bonny  is  also  in  high  fever  to-day. 
Jephson  will  surely  die  if  this  attack  is  prolonged  much 
further,  and  he  is  obliged  to  walk  owing  to  the  scarcity  of  carriers. 

June  5. — We  did  not  advance  to-day.  1  was  sent  off  in 
one  direction,  with  a  party  of  twenty  men,  to  try  and  find  a 
road.  Two  other  parties  were  also  sent  out,  in  other  directions. 
I  found  a  path  leading  to  the  west,  and  ending  at  some  tem- 
porary shelters  erected  in  the  forest ;  to  which,  I  suppose,  the 
frightened  natives  fly  for  refuge  from  their  ruthless  Arab  pur- 
suers. I  also  found  a  track  leading  along  the  course  of  a  river 
to  the  west.  No.  1  Company — in  another  direction — found  a 
very  good  road,  leading  along  the  base  of  the  mountain. 

Jephson  is  very  seedy  to-day. 

June  6. — We  marched  at  daybreak  this  morning ;  and, 
after  advancing  five  miles,  halted  close  to  a  large  banana 
plantation  and  broad  fields  of  mohindi  (Indian  corn). 

June  7. — We  halted  in  camp  for  the  day.  Stairs  was  sent 
up  the  mountain,  to  explore  and  report.  The  Pasha  started 
off  bug-hunting,  but  returned  in  the  evening. 

Jephson's  temperature  went  up  to  10G°  F.  last  night.  I  am 
very  anxious  about  him ;  but  he  is  full  of  pluck,  which,  in 
Africa,  is  worth  a  great  deal  more  than  medicine.  There  is  a 
haze  or  mist  everywhere,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach. 

June  8. — I  had  a  sharp  attack  of  fever  yesterday,  which 
continues  to-day.  Indeed,  we  are  now  all  cripples  in  the 
camp.  There  is  bush  everywhere  all  around,  and  no  open 
plain  to  be  seen  in  any  direction.  *  There  are  some  hot  springs 
close  by ;  the  water  has  a  temperature  of  102°. 

Stairs  returned  from  the  mountains  about  3  p.m.  to-day, 
having  ascended  to  an  altitude  of  11,900  feet.  He  brought 
back  many  of  the  fiimiliar  plants  of  temperate  zones — eg.^ 
heather,  blackberry,  violets,  &c.,  cl'c. 

I  feel  deuced  bad  to-day  ;  my  temperature  has  been  at  105°  F. 
since  morning. 

Jephson's  temperature  has  fallen  a  little. 

June  9-11.—  .    ... 

June  12. — IMy  fever  still  continues  very  high ;  and,  to 
add  to  my  discomfort,  my  boy  Muftah,  whose  tricks    I  had 


18S9.]   MAZAMIiONrS   TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NFANZA.    439 

so  often  allowed  to  pass  impimishecl,  has,  true  to  his  Zanzibar! 
instinct,  embraced  the  favourable  ojjportunity  of  running 
away  from  me.  The  wretch  always  does  this  when  I  have 
fever ;  he  returns  regularly  when  the  fever  is  over.  He 
knows  well  that  any  one  down  Avith  African  fever  is  always 
in  a  bad  temper.  He  went  to  Mr.  Stanley  this  time,  in  tlia 
hope  of  obtaining  a  reprieve,  as  he  has  generally  succeeded 
in  doing  in  the  past;  but,  to  my  surprise  and  gratification, 
3[r.  Stanley  asked  me  what  I  Avould  like  to  give  him.  I 
promptly  replied  "  a  dozen,"  and  he  there  and  then  received 
his  "  dozen," — all  told — at  the  hands  of  Khamis  Pari  (formerly 
one  of  Livingstone's  men).  When  sent  back  to  me,  the  young- 
demon  almost  immediately  ran  off  again  ;  but  he  will  probably 
return  and  kiss  my  feet  before  night. 

For  several  days  I  have  not  been  able  to  write,  owing  to  ■ 
the  presence  of  a  bad  palmar  abscess  in  the  right  hand,  which 
Nelson  opened  for  me  yesterday.  Yesterday  we  emerged  from 
the  bush,  and  had  a  splendid  march  through  an  open  plain 
along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  range,  the  altitude  of  which  is 
now  gradually  diminishing.  Last  evening,  just  at  sunset,  we 
had  a  glorious  view  of  the  snow-clad  Iluwenzori. 

The  natives  here  have  come  into  our  camp,  and  madc'^ 
friends  with  us  ;  bringing  us  presents  of  banana  wine  {pomhe). 

Stairs  left  this  morning  with  a  party,  to  explore  a  river 
which  is  said  to  lie  somewhere  near  this  place.  We  are  also' 
informed  that  the  Euta  vel  MutaNzige  Lake  is  not  far  distant. 

June  13-15. — .    .    .    . 

June  16. — We  again  descended  to  the  plain  to-day;  we 
had  for  the  last  two  days  been  crossing  the  elevation  at  the 
termination  of  the  Euwenzori  range.  Mr.  Stanley  photo- 
graphed the  snow-peak  on  the  13th ;  we  also  had  a  superb 
view  of  it  last  evening.  The  Pasha  and  Mr.  Stanley,  who 
have  always  been  good  friends  up  to  the  present,  had  a  row 
to-day,  about  making  a  company  of  the  Pasha's  men.  The 
Pasha  said,  impatiently,  "  You  had  better  leave  me  where  I 
am,  Mr.  Stanley."  The  latter  replied,  "You  can  do  as  you 
like.  Pasha ;  you  are  a  thankless,  ungrateful  man ! "  The 
Pasha  afterwards  apologised. 

We  caught  about  thirty  head  of  cattle  on  our  march  here  to- 
day. Muta  Nzige,  the  third  great  African  central  lake,  is  now 
but  a  few  hours  distant.  We  anticipate  some  fighting  to-morrow. 


440  EXrEUIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

Kiislidi  Effendi,  one  of  the  Pasha's  men,  was  Mt  behind  by 
the  Pasha's  people  yesterday.  I  had  very  bad  fever  on  yester- 
day. Our  camp  for  to-night  is  situated  in  a  large  circular 
enclosure,  which  contains  a  few  large  circular  huts,  into  which 
the  cattle  are  driven  at  night.  Each  hut  has  its  floor  quite 
covered  with  the  manure  they  have  manufactured. 

June  17. — We  left  camp  at  6  a.m.,  and  marched  at  a  quick 
pace  till  11.30  a.m.  ;  when  we  reached  a  settlement,  named 
Katwe,  on  the  Muta  Nzige  Lake.  Situated  a  few  hundred 
yards  from  its  western  margin  is  the  salt  lake  of  Mkiyo, 
which  is  surrounded  on  three-fourths  of  its  circumference  by 
steep  slopes,  that  rise  to  the  plateau,  about  200  feet  above 
the  surface  of  the  Lake.  On  the  north-west  side  there  is  a 
very  gradual  rise.  This  lake  does  not  possess  any  effluent 
stream ;  consequently  its  waters  are,  necessarily,  extremely 
rich  in  saline  matter.  It  is  from  this  lake  that  the  great 
quantities  of  pinkish  crystalline  salt  slabs  are  taken  which  are 
bartered  about  all  over  the  countries  of  Toro,  Unyampaka, 
Ankori,  Mpororo,  Ruanda,  Ukonju,  and  many  others.  It  is  of 
very  good  quality,  and  supplies  the  inhabitants  of  an  immensely 
large  area.  The  lake  is  but  a  few  feet  in  depth  :  the  slabs 
of  saline  deposit  are  taken  from  the  bottom,  and  carried  away 
to  be  sold — in  masses  of  various  sizes.  The  water  itself  has  a 
pinkish  colour  throughout ;  it  is  pure  brine,  and  of  a  much 
higher  sp.  gr,  than  sea-water.  The  margin  of  the  lake  is  strewn 
with  dead  butterflies,  and  animals  that  came  to  drink ;  its 
quality  is  evidently  too  strong  for  such  casual  visitors.  There 
is  no  food  growing  in  the  vicinity — either  animal  or  vegetable  ; 
the  people  who  inhabit  the  lake  shores,  accordingly,  barter  the 
salt  for  all  the  necessaries  of  life.  The  people  who  had  been 
occupying  the  lake  district  just  before  our  advent  were  usurjicrs 
<jf  Kabba  Ecga's,  who  had  driven  out  the  rightful  owners  of  the 
soil  with  the  aid  of  their  powder  and  slugs.  They  evidently 
did  not  relish  the  idea  of  our  approach  ;  for  they  cleared  out  to 
a  man,  and  did  not  wait  to  receive  us.  After  a  short  interval, 
X\\e  former  occupiers  did  approach  our  camp — in  a  squadron  of 
twenty-two  canoes ;  they  spoke  with  our  men,  but  declined  to 
lund  ;  they  have  evidently  had  bitter  ex})eriencc  of  cnterjirising 
visitors. 

There  are  about  six  hundred  huts  here,  and  it  appears  to 
have  been  the  great  central  market-place  of  the  lake  district. 


1889.]    MAZAMBONFS   TO   ALBERT  EDWABD   NYANZA.    44 L 

They  are  surrounded  by  a  boma  of  euphorbia  plants,  which  is 
neatly  arranged,  and  looks  very  picturesque.  AVe  marched 
about  sixteen  miles  to-day,  and  crossed  only  one  river,  which 
supplied  us  with  drinking  water. 

Stairs  procured  some  canoes ;  but  as  there  is  no  food  here, 
I  suppose  that  the  circumnavigation  of  the  Lake  Albert 
Edward  (or  Muta  Nzige)  from  this  point  is  impossible.  We 
can  see  traces  of  numbers  of  cattle  on  the  plain ;  they  have 
evidently  been  driven  off  by  the  natives.  Mr.  Stanley  went 
in  a  canoe  to  a  considerable  distance  on  the  lake,  in  order  to 
make  soundings. 

June  18. — .    ... 

June  19. — I  went  down  the  salt  lake  this  morning,  accom- 
jianied  by  the  Pasha.  The  local  name  of  the  lake  is  Mkiyo. 
Its  length  is  a  little  over  two  miles ;  its  breadth  about  three- 
quarters.  The  temperature  of  the  water  we  found  to  be 
78-4°  F.  (at  9.30  a.m.).  The  water  is  of  a  pinkish  colour,  and 
very  high  specific  gravity ;  it  contains  much  more  salt  than 
sea-water.  The  natives  collect  large  crusts,  or  cakes,  of  the 
salt  from  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  The  depth  varies  from 
one  to  two  feet.  The  natives  also  collect  salt  by  making  salt- 
pans around  the  margins,  from  which  the  water  is  allowed  to 
evaporate  by  exposure  to  the  sun,  leaving  a  layer  of  the  salt 
behind ;  it  is  deposited  in  strata :  clear  whitish  crystals  above, 
and  pinkish  below. 

We  found  one  rivulet  running  into  the  lake ;  this  is 
at  the  southern  extremity,  and  its  waters  have  a  highly 
sulphurous  odour.  It  has  also  a  sulphurous  taste,  and  leaves 
a  sulphurous  deposit.  There  is  no  tinge  of  pink  in  this  water. 
There  is  no  effluent  passing  from  the  lake.  The  temperature 
of  the  water  of  this  affluent  stream  we  found  at  84*2'^  F.  Ihis 
lake  has  no  connection  with  the  Muta  Nzige  ;  it  is  on  a  much 
lower  level,  and  separated  by  over  half  a  mile  of  solid  earth 
not  traversed  by  stream  of  any  kind.  There  are  two  inhabited 
islands  on  the  Albert  Edward  lake,  close  by  our  encampment : 
our  present  abode  being  situated  between  the  lakes.  The 
water  of  the  Albert  Edward  is  slightly  brackish  and  muddy, 
but  not  so  much  so  as  that  of  the  Albert  Nyanza.  The  name 
of  our  encampment  is  Katwe.  That  of  our  last  camp  was 
Nyama-gazani.  The  temperature  of  the  air  over  the  lake- 
water  this  morning  was  77°  F.     Great  quantities  of  papyrus 


442  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

grow  round  the  margins  of  the  Albert  Edward  Lake,  but 
none  round  the  salt  lake  of  Mkiyo.  On  my  return  home 
I  gave  a  specimen  of  the  water  of  Mkiyo  to  Sir  Charles 
Cameron,  of  Dublin  ;  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  the  following 
analysis. 

Composition  of  Pink  Water  Analysed  for  Dr.  Parke,  A.M.D. 

This  water  has  a  liglit,  but  distinctly  pink,  colour,  resembling!;  that  of  a 
weak  solution  of  potassium  permanganate.  It  is  very  alkaline,  and  on  bein^ 
treated  with  acids  effervesces  strongly  owing  to  disengagement  of  carbou 
dioxide  gas.  In  warm  weather  it  is  quite  clear,  but  during  cold  days  in  the 
winter,  salts  crystallize  out  from  it. 

The  specific  gravity  of  this  remarkable  water  is  very  high,  namely,  1,274, 
water  being  1,000.  This  gravity  exceeds  that  of  the  water  of  the  Dead  Sea, 
which  is  1,170,  or  thereabouts. 

The  colour  of  this  water  is  not  due  to  any  metallic  or  other  inorganic 
matters.  Under  the  microscope  a  small  quantity  of  floating  particles  is  seen  : 
when  by  mere  filtration  through  bibulous  ]:>aper  these  suspended  i)articles  are 
removed,  the  water  becomes  colourless.  The  suspended  matter  is  destroyed 
at  a  red  heat,  and  appears  to  be  altogether  of  veiietable  origin.  Jt  consists 
chiefly  of  amorphous  matter ;  but  it  also  includes  numerous  globose  cells, 
which  I  am  disposed  to  think  resemble  somewhat  the  vegetable  organism 
which  sometimes  imparts  a  red  colour  to  snow. 

The  quantity  of  solid  matter  dissolved  in  this  water  is  very  great,  100  parts 
yielded  30 "7  per  cent,  of  dry  inorganic  matter,  namely,  in  100  parts  of  dry 
residue : 

Sodium  sesqnicarlionat.i  .  .  .  .  6*88 


Disodium  carbonntc 
Potassium  chloride 
Sodium  chloride  . 
Sodium  sulphate  . 


11-84 


38-65 

y-75 


100-00 


100  parts  of  the  water  contain,  therefore,  the  following  quantities  of  salts, 
giving  to  the  crystallizable  salts  the  molecules  of  water  which  they  contain  : — 

Sodium  sesquicarbonafe  (Na^,  Ha,  Cg,  Oo,  2  Hio)         .  2-02 

Disodium  carbonate  (Na,,  C  0.„  10  H.O)  .          .          .  19-83 

Potassium  chloride  (K  Cl)     .....  7-57 

S(idiumchlo.i.lc(Na,  CI) 8-90 

Disodium  sulphate  (Na.,  SO^,  10  ll^O)    .          .          .  .    11*54 

49-8G 


Percentage  constituents  of  the  inorganic  dissolved  matter  calculated  as 
crystallized  : — 

Sodium  sesquioarbonatc  .....         5-83 

Disodium  carbonate       .  .  .  .  .  .23-90 

Potassium  cliloride        .  .  .  .  .  .        24*65 

Sodium  chloride 28-98 

Disodium  sulphate        ......       16*58 


100-00 


1889.]   MAZAMBONTS   TO   ALBERT  EDWARD  NYANZA.     443 

The  water  therefore  consists  of: — 

Water       .  . oO'l-i 

Salts  of  sodium  and  putassiuiu       ....  -iy'SU 


100-00 


The  occurrence  of  sodiura  sesquicarbonatc  in  this  water  is  interesting,  as 
this  salt  is  rarely  met  Avith.  It  has  been  foiitjd  in  the  Province  of  SaUenna, 
two  dajs' journey  from  Fezzan  in  Africa,  and  is  there  termed  "  trona.'"  It  has 
also  been  found  at  the  bottom  of  a  lake  in  Maracarbo,  South  America,  wheie 
it  has  received  the  name  of  "  urao,"  and  as  an  efflorescence  near  the  Sweet 
lUver  in  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

All  the  salts  in  the  pink  water  are  valuable. 


4.th  21arch,  1891.] 


ClIARLKS  A.  CaMEHOX, 

Koyal  College  of  Surgeons,  Dublin.] 


June  20. — We  started  at  daybreak  this  morning;  we  are 
now  in  Usongora — after  a  few  hours'  march  we  enter  the 
territory  of  Unyampaka.  We  marched  eighteen  and  a  half 
miles  to-day,  and  reached  another  portion  of  the  Albert  Edward 
Lake,  opposite  a  large  island  named  Irangara.  We  had  five 
hours'  marching  this  morning  before  we  reached  water. 

This  country  must  be  very  well  stocked  with  cattle,  as  there 
are  traces  of  the  footprints  of  large  droves  of  them  to  be  met 
with  in  every  direction.     We  are  on  the  Equator  again  to-day. 

Kabba  Rega's  Wara-Sura  in  one  raid  captured  several 
thousand  head  of  cattle  on  this  island  of  Irangara  :  the  unfor- 
tunate natives,  when  chased  by  their  plunderers,  had  driven 
their  cattle  to  the  island  for  refuge  and  safety  ;  the  only  result 
of  which  was  that  their  live  stock  were  all  seized  the  more 
easily — at  one  fell  s\voop.  We  hear  the  lowing  of  large  numbers 
of  cattle  going  on  in  the  island  at  the  present  moment. 

Close  to  where  we  halted  to-day  are  some  mud- walled  huts 
of  considerable  thickness  and  strength ;  we  found  some  coloured 
pictures  on  the  inside  and  outside  of  these  walls — -done  in  red, 
blue,  brown,  and  some  other  tints — the  first  attempt  at  alfresco 
painting  I  have  seen  since  I  entered  the  depths  of  Africa. 

June  21. — After  marching  for  four  hours  this  morning,  we 
approached  a  range  of  mountains  running  in  a  north-easterly 
direction.  They  are  known  to  the  natives  by  the  name  of  the 
"  Tore  "  hills.  Mr.  Stanley  adapted  our  line  of  march  to  the 
direction  of  the  mountain  range,  and  encamped  for  the  night 
about   halfway  between   the  foot  of  the   mountain   and   the 


444  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATOniAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

shore  of  the  Albert  Edward  Nyanza.  This  hike  seems  to  be 
plentifully  stocked  with  islands.  We  saw  herds  of  antelope 
about,  a  few  giraffes,  numbers  of  herons,  storks,  ducks,  geese, 
kingfishers,  some  specimens  of  the  sacred  flamingo,  &c.,  &c.  ; 
but  no  article  of  diet  immediately  available  has  turned  up  on 
the  road  for  the  past  four  or  five  days. 

We  captured  a  Wara-Sura  spy  here ;  our  present  place 
of  encampment  had  evidently  been  occupied  by  the  Wara- 
Sura  till  yesterday.  This  name  of  Wara-Sura  was  originally 
applied,  it  appears,  to  Kabba  Eega's  body-guard ;  as  he  in- 
creased in  jDower,  and  became  more  aggressive,  his  guard 
gradually  swelled  to  so  large  proportions,  that  he  is  now  able 
to  send  detachments  of  it  all  over  the  districts  of  Toro, 
Unyampaka,  Usongora,  etc.,  &c.,  to  attack  the  natives,  and  loot 
their  villages. 

June  22. — We  marched  about  ten  or  twelve  miles  this 
morning;  and,  about  10.30  a.m.,  as  we  were  defiling  through  a 
pass,  the  sides  of  which  were  decorated  with  some  lofty  canes, 
and  the  vanguard  was  in  the  act  of  crossing  the  Rukoki  river, 
we  were  attacked  by  the  Wara-Sura,  who  fired  a  volley  out  of 
their  covert  in  the  dense  brake,  where  they  lay  in  ambush. 
It  was  aimed,  of  course,  at  the  leaders  of  our  long  file.  After 
delivering  themselves  of  this  warlike  salute,  they  immediately 
took  to  their  heels.  Our  Wahuma  guides,  twelve  in  number, 
w  ere  in  front ;  then  followed  our  flag — with  the  star  and  crescent 
— with  four  Zanzibaris  ;  then  myself,  as  I  was  in  advance  with 
the  skirmishers.  Most  of  the  men  dropped  their  loads,  and  ran 
directly  back  "  in  blue  funk,"  making  a  regular  stampede.  They 
carried  me  backwards  too,  in  the  violence  of  the  rush,  through 
the  narrow  path ;  but  in  a  little  time  I  was  able  to  get  a  few  of 
them  steady,  and  managed  to  send  five  or  six  skirmishers  for- 
ward. I  then  went  to  ]\Ir.  Stanley,  who  was  in  front  of.  the 
column ;  ho  gave  me  six  men  to  pick  up  the  loads  which  had 
been  thrown  on  the  path,  and  which  might  easily  have  been 
appropriated  by  the  Wara-Sura,  had  the  latter  had  the  courage 
to  follow  up  their  advantage  :  he  also  sent  on  No.  1  Company 
under  me,  and  No.  2  Company  following  under  Jephsou.  The 
latter  and  myself,  having  got  the  companies  clear  of  those  men 
in  front,  quickened  our  pace,  and  ran  on  for  a  c(niple  of  miles 
in  pursuit  of  the  Wara-Sura.  We  then  came  \\\Mn\  two  camps 
which  had  just  been  deserted;    the  flying  Wara-Sura  had  set 


1889.]   3fAZAMB0NIS    TO   ALBEBT  EDWARD   NYANZA.   44o 

the  huts  on  fire  before  clearing  out,  and  they  were  bkiziug 
away  vigorously.  We  did  not  succeed  in  catching  any  person, 
as  they  escaped  in  the  long  grass,  and  Avere  permitted  to  enjoy 
the  view  as  they  hastily  climbed  the  hills  in  the  distance. 
Our  men  picked  up  bananas,  beans,  and  tuldbone  flour  in  the 
deserted  camp.  One  or  two  huts  of  the  latter  were  surrounded 
by  a  very  strong  euphorbia  boma.  One  hut  was  built  in  the 
shape  of  an  ottoman,  and  was  coloured  all  over  with  red,  white, 
blue,  and  black  spots.  We  camped  in  a  large  banana  planta- 
tion for  the  night ;  the  men  were  directed  to  prepare  provisions 
to  last  for  six  days  (bananas  and  Indian  corn). 

June  23. — Our  guides  leave  us  here  ;  they  are  Wahunia, 
and  have  accompanied  us  from  the  place  where  the  natives  of 
their  tribe  first  entered  into  the  bond  of  friendship  with  us. 
We  rest  in  camp  to-day  and  to-morrow ;  Nelson  has  gone  off 
to-day  with  his  company,  to  hunt  up  the  Wara-Sura. 

The  water  of  this  lake  is  very  unpleasant  to  drink.  The 
shores  are  all  covered  with  ambash  wood  ;  with  very  tall  reeds, 
and  papyrus. 

June  24. — We  rest  in  camp  to-day,  and  are  j)reparing  a 
supply  of  food  for  seven  days.  Saadi  Mpsa  of  No.  2  Company 
died  to-day.  He  had  suffered  from  bad  remittent  fever  for  six 
or  seven  days ;  then  he  got  double  pneumonia,  a  complication 
which,  in  his  weakened  condition,  he  was,  of  course,  entirely 
unable  to  battle  against ;  so  he  died  in  about  thirty  hours. 
The  shores  of  this  lake  are,  certainly,  extremely  malarious ; 
about  one-third  of  the  entire  caravan  is  down  with  fever  at  the 
present  moment,  including  my  little  Monbuttu,  who  has  con- 
stantly suffered  from  intensely  high  fever  sinc^e  she  left  the 
shady  forest,  and  became  exposed  to  the  hot  sun  on  the 
plains. 

June  25. — We  marched  about  fourteen  miles  to-day,  and 
crossed  five  large  rivers  on  the  way.  We  passed  round  an  inlet 
of  the  lake,  and  camped  in  the  bush.  Our  water  supply  here 
had  to  be  drawn  from  stagnant  pools ;  and  looked  like  coffee, 
from  the  amount  of  suspended  mud  which  it  contained.  No 
wonder  that  we  have  so  much  malarial  fever  amongst  us  !  The 
water  of  the  lake  is  entirely  undrinkable. 

I  got  within  thirty  yards  of  an  elephant  to-day. 
June  26. — We  marched  early  this  morning.     At  7.45  a.m. 
we   passed  a  large  river.     At  9.30  we   encountered  another 


446  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL    AFEICA.         [1880. 

detachment  of  the  AVara-Sura ;  who,  as  usual,  fired  a  volley  at 
us,  and  then  ran. 

My  tent  did  not  arrive  last  night  till  8  p.m.,  and  to-night  it 
has  not  come  at  all.  The  man  who  looks  after  it  is  sick. 
I  have  had  fexer  to-day.  Yusuf  Effendi  died  to-day.  My 
little  pigmy  is  one  of  the  best  of  nurses,  and  would  be 
invaluable  as  attendant  to  anyone  who  had  no  optic  or  olfactory 
organs.  We  have  all  seen  so  much  of  her  that  we  can  spealc 
from  experience. 

June  27. — We  remained  in  camp  to-day.  Jephson  and 
myself  are  on  our  backs,  Avith  high  fever ;  Nelson,  accompanied 
by  a  native  guide,  went  out  to  find  a  road  ;  Stairs  was  sent 
back  to  hurry  up  the  stragglers.  The  latter  found  my 
Manyuema  carrier — in  charge  of  my  tent — sound  asleep  at  our 
last  camp.  A  few  of  the  Pasha's  people  were  found  lying  on 
the  path,  who  had  been  speared  to  death.  An  enormous 
amount  of  fever  still  in  camp. 

June  28. — This  country  is  very  thinly  populated ;  there  are 
few  cattle  to  eat  down  the  grass,  which,  indeed,  has  now 
developed  into  a  cane-like  growth  of  such  a  coarseness  and 
strength,  as  would  severely  tax  the  masticatory  powers  of  any 
member  of  the  ox  tribe. 

We  started  at  G.30  a.m.,  marched  over  a  very  hilly  hollow 
country,  and  halted  close  to  a  river  of  fairly  clear  water — the 
only  fair  imitation  of  aqua  jpura  which  we  have  had  the  chance 
of  utilising  for  many  days.  A  large  proportion  of  our  caravan 
is  still,  indeed,  suffering  from  the  effects  of  imbibition  of 
the  contents  of  the  detestable  pools  of  these  regions. 

IMr.  Stanley  liimself  has  very  high  fever  to-day. 

June  29. — We  marched  to-day  from  early  morning  till 
10.15  a.m.,  and  then  halted  in  a  banana  plantation.  Mr.  Stanley's 
temperature  is  extremely  high  to-day  ;  Stairs,  Jephson,  and 
Bonny  are  also  prostrated  by  the  prevailing  disorder ;  and 
a  very  large  proportion  of  our  men  are  entirely  unable  to 
carry  their  loads  from  this  horrid  fever,  whose  presence  weighs 
us  all  down.  Every  man's  tongue  is  coated  with  a  white  fur, 
even  if  he  has  not  an  elevated  temj)erature.  Emin  Pasha's 
temperature  is  now  normal,  but  he  has  still  the  white  tongue. 

Food  is  quite  plentiful  here. 

June  30. — Mr.  Stanley's  temperature  is  very  high  to-day ; 
it  is  also  keeping  its  elevation,  and  there  is  no  attempt  at 


1889.]   MAZAMBONFS   TO   ALBERT  EDWARD   NYANZA.    447 

perspiration.  As  the  day  advanced,  I  became  anxious,  and 
gave  him  a  hypodermic  injection  of  pilocarpine.  He  soon 
after  commenced  to  perspire  profusely,  and  this  continued  till 
he  was  thoroughly  drenched ;  he  then  became  quite  cool. 
Bonny  also  is  very  feverish  to-day.  A  great  number  of  the 
men  have  fever. 

The  natives  came  into  our  camp  here,  and  made  friends  with 
us.  They  carry  bows  of  five  feet  in  length,  and  arrows  of 
proportional  dimensions.     We  are  still  in  the  Toro  district. 

My  last  fowl  was  stolen  to-day — by  our  Zanzibari  cook,  Ali 
Bin  Said. 

July  1. — We  marched  but  a  few  miles  to-day,  and  camped 
close  to  the  lake.  A  splendid  expanse  of  water  lay  before  us, 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach :  there  is  nearly  always  a  haze  or 
mist,  of  some  degree  of  density,  hanging  over  and  around  this 
lake.  The  water  is  brackish  to  the  taste ;  and,  as  far  as  we  can 
see,  is  nearly  covered  over  with  floating  pieces  of  vegetation. 

We  are  now  in  Unyampaka  again.  We  are  at  present 
near  Mr.  Stanley's  old  camp — the  furthest  point  to  which  he 
penetrated  after  leaving  Uganda  in  January,  1876.  For  the 
last  two  days  the  natives  have  been  quite  friendly  to  us. 

The  x-nen  are  to  prepare  a  supply  of  food  for  several  days 
before  leaving  this  place.  There  is  a  range  of  hills  stretching 
along  within  a  couple  of  miles  of  the  lake ;  their  altitude 
would  be  about  800  feet. 

Mr.  Stanley  is  again  down  with  fever,  his  temperature  is 
104°  F.  this  evening.  The  amount  of  fever  among  the  men 
is  diminishing.  I  filled  to-day  all  the  quinine  bottles  belong- 
ing to  the  officers  of  the  Expedition :  this  is  necessary,  as 
they  are  often  away  from  me  for  a  couple  of  days  at  a  time ; 
and  their  already  large  experience  of  malarial  fever  has 
taught  them,  very  accurately,  when  and  how  to  take  the 
medicine.  This  ounce  bottle  must  do  for  each  till  we  reach 
Zanzibar,  as  there  is  no  more  quinine  left. 

July  2. — We  rested  all  day  in  camp,  on  account  of  the 
enormous  number  of  cases  of  fever  among  our  men.  Mr. 
Stanley  has  now  quite  recovered  from  his  last  attack.  The 
natives  are  visiting  us,  in  friendly  batches  of  twenty  or  thirty 
each.  The  king,  Bulemo-Ruigi,  was  to  have  come  to  call  on 
us  to-day,  but  has  not  yet  arrived. 

The  moon  is  now  four  days  old. 


448  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

July  3. — We  started  early  this  morning,  and  after  marching 
about  six  miles  in  a  southerly  direction,  entered  the  country 
of  Ankori ;  where  we  camped  on  the  brink  of  the  lake,  in  the 
Katari  settlement.  We  were  now  obliged  to  drink  the  lake 
water,  as  there  was  no  other  source  of  supply  discoverable 
within  reach — nothing  near  us,  even  in  the  shape  of  a  muddy 
stream,  or  a  stagnant  pool.  Ever  since  we  met  the  Wara- 
Sura — days  before  the  native  guides  left  us — we  have  been 
meandering  along  a  low  ground-level :  but  about  ten  feet  above 
that  of  the  lake  water.  This  low  altitude,  together  with  the 
wretched  water  supply,  has  supplied  the  enormous  number  of 
iever  cases  with  which  I  have  had  to  deal  within  so  short  a 
space  of  time. 

A  great  number  of  natives  have  come  into  our  camp  to-day 
on  a  friendly  visit. 


i 


(  440  ) 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  MARCH  THROUGH  ANKORI  AND  KARAGWE. 

Decision  as  to  our  future  route — Friendly  assistance  rendered  by  the  natives 
in  carrying  loads — We  wait  King  Antari's  pleasure  at  a  small  village — 
Loss  of  some  of  my  clothes — Native  customs — P'rssents  of  goats  and 
guides  from  King  Antari — Several  members  of  the  expedition  prostrate 
Avitli  fever — Symptoms  of  an  attack  of  fever — Some  pupils  of  the  late 
Mr.  Mackay  of  the  C.M.S.  visit  us — Their  information  regarding  the 
latest  events  in  Uganda — The  cause  of  African  fever — A  few  of  the 
Pasha's  people  drop  out  of  the  caravan  through  sickness — The  detestable 
"yellow-bellies" — Our  progress  obstructed  by  a  large  papyrus  quagmire 
— Carelessness  of  the  Zauzibaris  with  their  rifles — Immunity  of  our  meu 
from  sunstroke — We  experience  sharp  alternations  of  temperature — 
Large  herds  of  cattle — Stinginess  of  the  natives — Another  case  of  sun- 
stroke— Theft  of  rifles  by  tlie  natives — Fever  among  the  white  officers — • 
Visit  from  the  young  prince  of  Ankori — Ophthalmia  among  our  men — 
Native  coffee — Bonny's  condition — We  transport  the  caravan  across  the 
Alexandia  Nile — Murder  of  a  Manyuema  woman — Description  of  the 
Hot  Springs  at  Mtagata — I  take  a  thermal  bnth — Death  of  one  of 
Kibl^o-bora's  wives — My  opinion  of  Manyuema  men  and  women — I  am 
obliged  to  leave  my  pigmy  woman  with  some  friendly  natives — Her 
23arting  casts  a  gloom  over  the  camp — The  deserted  settlement  of  Kafurro 
— Visit  from  one  of  Speke  and  Grant's  men — Message  from  the  boy  king 
of  Karagwe — Jephson  pays  his  respects  to  the  latter — Bargain  making 
Avith  the  king — Karagwe  an  uninteresting  country — The  "coldest  day 
experienced  bv  me  in  Africa — After  a  rough  m\rch,  we  arrive  at  Lake 
Urigi. 

July  4. — Last  night,  Mr.  Stanley  called  us  white  officers  to 
his  tent,  and  explained  to  ns  that  he  had  heard  from  the 
natives  that  Antari,  King  of  Ankori,  had  had  a  supply  of 
guns  given  him  by  the  Waganda,  as  he  had  become  subject  to 
j\rtesa,  late  king  of  the  latter  country.  Also,  by  passing  in 
this  direction,  we  would  have  to  pass  through  Karagwe,  a 
powerful  Uganda  territory.  These  considerations  must  make 
us  cautious,  and  may,  perhaps,  oblige  us  to  change  our  plans. 
There  are  now  four  ways  open  : — 

1.  Go  back  to  the  bush,  and  come  out  at  Ujiji. 

2.  Through  the  warlike  Euanda  territory,  occupied  by  a 
powerful  tribe,  who  have  a  queen  on  the  throne. 

3.  To  pass  to  the  west  of  Uganda. 

2  u 


450  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

4.  Through  iVnkori  and  Karagwe. 

It  was  decided  to  adopt  the  latter  course,  as  the  most 
desirable  route  upon  the  Avhole,  if  not  quite  the  shortest.  If 
we  met  with  too  much  obstruction  on  the  way,  we  would  then 
strike  the  Uganda  road,  and  turn  southward  to  the  Alexandra 
]S"ile. 

We  made  a  long  march  to-day,  and  found  the  natives  quite 
amicable  on  the  way.  We  were,  of  course,  obstructed  by  the 
fact  that  considerably  more  than  a  fourth  of  our  people  are 
now  suffering  from  high  fever,  and  groan  and  wriggle  about 
as  they  slowly  drag  their  flabby  limbs  along.  I  am  one  of 
the  unhappy  number  myself;  and  the  pigmies  suffer  more 
than  any  of  us. 

The  friendly  natives  here  often  come  up  to  us  on  the  jiath, 
and  volunteer  to  carry  some  of  the  loads  for  short  distances. 
My  boy  gave  one  of  them  some  of  my  things  to  carry  as  we 
were  on  the  march  to-day ;  I  am  made  somewhat  anxious  by 
the  fact  that  he  has  not  come  into  camp  to-night.  The 
carriers,  Avho  work  in  this  way  by  voluntary  contribution,  are 
known  as  hanuan  in  Kiswahili. 

July  5. — I  was  with  the  advance  guard  to-day.  We  had 
not  proceeded  far  on  our  route  when  we  were  accosted  by  a 
chief,  who  had  with  him  about  a  dozen  attendants ;  he  told  us 
that  we  must  stop  where  we  were  till  he  sent  word  to  the 
king  informing  him  of  our  approach,  as  this  was  their  custom. 
Accordingly,  anxious  as  we  were  to  stand  well  with  his 
majesty  of  Ankori,  we  immediately  brought  the  whole  cara^'an 
to  a  respectful  stand-still.  After  an  hour's  shauri  we  were 
permitted  to  march,  escorted  by  the  chief  and  liis  attendants, 
till  we  reached  a  small  village',  consisting  of  a  few  huts :  at 
which  we  are  to  remain  till  the  king's  pleasure  concerning  us 
is  made  known. 

My  kanuan  (voluntary  native  carrier)  has  not  come  into 
camp  to-day  either,  so  that  another  load  is  gone !  But,  from 
long  experience,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  in 
travelling  near  the  Equator  it  is  no  great  disadvantage  to  lose 
one's  clothes  ;  for  when  they  are  gone,  all  anxiety  has  departed 
with  them,  and  there  is  no  critical  society  to  discuss  the 
presentability  of  one's  appearance,  or  gossiping  journals  to 
record  what  was  worn  at  last  evening's  conversazione.  What 
is  more  to  the  purpose  is  that  my  fever  is  very  high  to-day. 


1889.]      MARCH  THROUGH  ANKORI  AND   EAR  AG  WE       451 

The  country  liere  is  abomiuably  hilly,  and  wearisome  to 
march  over.  The  natives  all  wear  cloth — an  inferior  kinci 
of  brown  calico. 

July  6. — Mr.  Stanley  told  me  to-day  that  we  had  passed 
3Iount  Edwin  Arnold  some  days  ago,  and  Mount  Lawson  on 
yesterday.  The  natives  are  very  friendly  here,  and  brought 
in  plenty  of  food ;  which  they  sold  to  our  people  for  clothes, 
beads,  cowries,  and  ornaments  of  various  kinds  that  they  have 
picked  up  on  the  march.  The  purchase  of  a  goat  is  effected 
by  the  exchange  of  one  doti  (twelve  yards)  of  inferior  calico. 
The  natives  are  very  keen  in  the  acquisition  of  cloth — also  of 
gunpowder ;  they  do  not,  however,  like  so  many  of  the  Central 
African  tribes,  care  very  much  for  beads  or  cowries. 

The  Pasha,  Jephson,  and  myself,  have  been  consuming  with 
high  fever  to-day. 

July  7. — We  remained  in  camp  all  to-day  (Sunday).  Did 
nothing  particular. 

July  8. — ^The  messengers  have  returned  from  King  Antari, 
whose  palace — or  mansion,  or  kraal,  or  straw  hut — is  located  at 
a  distance  of  a  couple  of  days'  march  from  here.  They  say 
that  the  king  is  a  "  boy  "  of  about  twenty-seven  years  old ; 
and  that  he  is  at  present  away  (with  his  royal  household) 
at  Kuanda ;  but  his  mother  sends  her  compliments  to  us,  and 
says  that,  as  she  understands  that  we  are  good  people,  and 
has  received  a  favourable  report  of  our  disposition  and 
movements,  she  will  send  us  some  guides,  accompanied  by 
a  present  of  a  few  goats  and  a  couple  of  cows — to  meet 
us  at  the  Alexandra  Nile.  Personally,  I  believe,  that  all 
this  "  blarney "  is  due  to  the  fact  that  they  have  been 
frightened  by  the  size  of  our  caravan,  and  are  anxious  to  get 
rid  of  us  as  rapidly  as  possible ;  and  that,  actuated  by  this 
(for  us)  wholesome  awe,  they  have  manufactured  the  story 
about  the  king's  pilgrimage  to  Euanda.  The  ambassadors  are 
so  polite,  and  say  such  nice  things,  that  one  would  think 
indulgent  nature  had  placed  within  their  reach  for  the 
occasion  a  specimen  of  that  celebrated  mineral,  lingual 
contact  with  which  is  generally  believed  to  inspire  so  large 
an  amount  of  Southern  Irish  eloquence. 

I  see  that  some  of  the  natives  here  have  got  old  tower 
muskets ;  which  were,  of  course,  brought  up  to  this  place  by 
Arab    traders.      One    of    these   muskets — purchased    at    the 


452  .EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFniCA.         [1880. 

coast  for  the  sum  of  one  dollar  would,  in  bygone  days,  liave 
been  exchanged  in  this  region  for  about  £00  worth  of 
iA^ory.  Several  members  of  the  Expedition  have  not  yet 
reached  camp;  when  they  get  fever,  they  immediately 
prostrate  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  seem  greatly  dis- 
appointed if  they  don't  die.  Their  action  under  the  circum- 
stances presents  a  really  curious  contrast  to  that  of  the  white 
man :  who  uses  every  remnant  of  energy  that  he  has  got  to 
bring  him  up  to  camp  for  the  night,  and  is  again  ready  to 
start  next  morning.  Of  the  thirteen  Somalis  who  started  with 
us,  we  have  now  but  one  left;  while  of  the  thirteen  Europeans, 
but  one  has  died.  Now,  neither  Somalis  nor  Nubians  have 
been  obliged  to  carry  loads — except  in  way  of  punishment; 
they  have  exactly  the  same  food  as  the  whites ;  and  not  more 
physical  work  to  perform — if  indeed  so  much.  This  tropical 
climate,  excepting  the  marshy  districts,  and  those  where  water 
supply  is  deficient,  is  certainly  good  enough  for  any  white 
man  ;  and,  taking  one  season  with  another,  is  certainly  a  more 
enjoyable  one  than  that  of  England. 

We  are  remaining  in  camp  here  all  day.  We  have  plenty 
of  bananas.  Stairs  has  high  fever  to-day.  We  have  all  of  us 
now  become  quite  familiar  with  the  prodromatory  symptoms  of 
an  attack ;  the  affected  individual  becomes  extremely  talkative, 
as  the  mental  powers  become  very  active — and  develops  a  great 
air  of  independence.  The  eyes  become  bright  and  glassy,  the 
hair  soon  becomes  dishevelled,  and  one  quickly  passes  into  a 
very  bad  temper,  &c.,  &c. 

July  9. — We  started  early  this  morning,  and  marched  till 
11  A.M. ;  when  we  halted  at  a  small  village,  consisting  of  a  iew 
liuts,  and  with  some  bananas  growing  near.  Shortly  after  our 
arrival,  some  six  or  eight  Swahili-speaking  individuals  came 
in.  They  were  very  respectable  looking,  well  clad,  and  could 
read  their  prayers  in  Swahili.  They  informed  us  that  one 
and  a-half  years  ago  the  Waganda  had  deposed  their  King 
]\[\vanga,  the  eldest  son  of  Mtesa,  the  last  king — and  con- 
sequently, hereditary  heir  to  the  throne ;  and  that  he  now 
lives  on  an  island  in  the  Victoria  Nyanza,  supported 
principally  by  Christians,  with  a  certain  proportion  of  the 
Waganda,  his  former  sul)jects.  The  Katekiro  (prime  minister) 
had  been  killed  in  the  revolt.  Karema,  a  younger  brother  of 
]\[wanga,  now  reigns  in  his  stead.     IMwanga's  morals  are  said 


1889.]      MARCH    TllROUGIl  ANKORI  AND   KARAGWE.      453 

to  be  by  no  means  of  an  exempbiry  type ;  he  is  also  said  to 
dislike  the  Arabs,  as  the  Arab  traders  all  support  Karema. 
All  traders  and  missionaries  had  to  fly  from  Uganda  at  the 
time  of  the  rebellion ;  about  2,000  of  the  refugees  came  into 
the  Aukori  territory,  and  our  present  visitors  were  of  the 
numl)er.  They  had  formerly  been  pupils  of  IMackay — of  the 
Church  Missionary  Society — and  they  know  how  to  write  the 
Swahili  language  freely  :  as  well  as  speak  it,  read  it,  and  pray 
in  it.     They  are  very  superior  men. 

This  day's  march  was  an  exceedingly  laborious  one;  the 
country  being  very  hilly.  Heri,  one  of  the  Pasha's  people, 
died  of  fever  to-day.  The  reason  why  the  fever  clings  so  to 
us  still  in  these  hilly,  non-marshy  districts,  is  the  exposure  to 
the  chilly  blasts  which  we  meet  as  we  go  down-hill.  In 
ascending  these  laborious  elevations,  the  men  sweat  and  groan 
continuously  from  fatigue,  under  the  exposure  to  the  direct 
rays  of  the  burning  sun.  When  the  summit  has  been  sur- 
mounted, and  the  descent  commenced,  with  the  subsidence  of 
the  physical  exertion,  the  cool  blasts  which  are  always  whirling 
around  the  hills  bring  on  an  immediate  chill;  and  my  ex- 
perience of  African  travel  in  this  connection  is  that  the 
smallest  draught  of  cold  air,  after  exposure  to  great  heat^ 
never  fails  to  bring  on  a  paroxysm  of  fever.  When  these 
uncalled-for  breezes  come  up  from  shaded,  swampy  ravines, 
there  is,  of  course,  an  additional  factor  introduced  for  the 
manufacture  of  pyrexia. 

July  10. — My  tent  did  not  arrive  till  10  p.m.  last  night ;  so 
1  lay  all  night  by  the  fire,  in  the  open.  Two  of  the  Pasha's 
people  remained  behind  in  camp  to-day :  they  were  unable  to 
march — or,  at  least,  they  said  so — from  the  exhaustion  produced 
by  extensive  ulcers.  Their  names  are  Abdul  AYahid  Effendi, 
and  Ibrahim  Telbass ;  their  families — women,  servants,  and 
children — remained  behind  with  them.  They  get  plenty  of 
food  here,  and,  indeed,  are  so  lazy  that  they  seemed  glad  to  have 
some  serious  excuse  to  drop  off  from  our  caravan.  As  they 
include  a  goodly  number  of  worthless  persons,  wo  will  move 
more  lightly  and  freely  without  them.  All  the  Pasha's  men 
are  polygamists.  Many  of  the  native  Swahili-speaking  people 
express  a  wish  to  accompany  us  to  the  coast. 

The  Pasha  is  down  with  fever  to-day :  his  temperature  is 
104"  F.  this  evening.     Casati  has  also  high  fever.     Songora 


454  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.  [1889. 

Baraka,  from  whom  I  extracted  a  tootli  the  other  day,  has  got 
"  Bell's  palsy,"  partially  developed  ;  the  ptosis  is  well-marked, 
and  he  also  has  slight  aphasia — a  sort  of  sequela  of  very  high 
fever,  from  which  he  has  been  suffering.  He  was  one  of  our 
strongest  men ;  and  did,  I  suspect,  get  an  attack  of  sunstroke 
— superimposed  on  his  fever. 

This  is  a  fearfully  hilly  country,  and  our  men  have  most 
difficult  work  in  carrying  their  loads  up  hill  and  down  dale. 
The  dragging  along  of  the  Pasha's  people,  with  their  women 
and  children,  is  dreadfully  slow  work,  especially  in  convey- 
ing them  over  the  hills.  I  am  glad  we  have  got  rid  of 
Ibrahim  Effeudi  and  his  harem  now!  I  wish  many  others 
would  follow  his  example ;  now  that  they  have  come  among 
friendly  people.  He  is  not  so  ill  as  that  he  could  not  march, 
so  he  evidently  wishes  to  reside  in  this  part  of  the  country. 
The  Pasha's  people  have  lost  many  children  by  wild  beasts 
(mostly  hyenas)  carrying  them  away  at  night. 

July  11. — We  made  but  a  short  march  to-day.  Farragalah 
Abdullah,  one  of  our  Nubians,  has  not  arrived  in  camp 
to-night ;  he  has  a  Kemiugton  rifle  with  him. 

July  12. — The  thick-lipped,  broad-nosed  women-servants 
of  the  Pasha's  people  are  really  the  best  of  the  vile  crew ; 
they  carry  their  masters  in  hammocks  on  the  march,  go  off  and 
fetch  food,  cook  it,  wash,  and  do  all  the  hard  work ;  while  these 
detestable  "  yellow-bellies  "  (a  local  api)ellation  for  Egyptians) 
lie  (or  sit)  at  their  ease — smoking  cigarettes,  drinking  coffee 
made  from  hibiscus  nut,  and  doing  endless  talking.  There 
are  a  few  Coptic  (white)  women,  one  or  two  of  whom  had 
been  notorious  in  Khartoum ;  which  possessed  a  great  deal 
of  questionable  propriety  in  its  recent  years  of  excitement. 
3Iany  of  the  Pasha's  people  are  fanatical  Mohammedans ;  they 
are  constantly  muttering  their  prayers,  and  devoted  to  rea.ding 
the  Koran  ;  each  keeps  on  passing  a  string  of  beads  con- 
tinuously through  his  hands. 

We  inarched  to  a  village  where  we  were  fortunate  enough 
to  tind  plenty  of  food,  including  some  excellent  dried  peas ; 
and  also  a  small  quantity  of  butter.  Our  guides  loft  us 
here. 

Songora  Baraka  died  to-day ;  his  paralysis  had  gradually 
grown  worse,  his  mental  functions  failed,  and  ho  passed  by 
degrees  into  a  state  of  complete  coma  and  general  paralysis. 


1889.]      MARCH  THROUGH  ANKORI  AND  KARAGWE.       455 

He  liad  evidently  liad  a  sunstroke.  Death  was  accelerated 
by  paralysis  of  the  muscles  of  respiration.  This  is  our  first 
case  of  sunstroke  since  we  left  the  Albert  Nyanza. 

July  13. — We  marched  till  11.30  a.m.  to-day,  and  met 
with  a  great  obstruction  to  our  progress,  in  the  form  of  a  large 
papyrus  quagmire,  in  which  we  lost  twenty-six  cows,  and 
eight  or  nine  goats.  We  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
through  it  ourselves.  The  papyrus  is  very  abundant  in  the 
swamps  of  this  part  of  the  country,  and  grows  in  enormous 
quantities  around  the  shores  of  the  Albert  Edward  Nyanza.  It 
appears  to  form  a  jungle  growth  in  marshy  districts  generally, 
here ;  and  this  swamp  which  robbed  us  of  so  many  valuable 
cattle  to-day,  appears  to  have  been  originally  meant  for  a 
river,  and  bears  the  name  of  Rwizi. 

On  arrival  in  camp,  the  Zanzibaris  went  off  to  explore 
among  the  native  huts.  On  coming  back,  they  informed  us 
that  they  had  gone  into  one  of  the  huts  in  which  the  natives 
had  offered  them  milk  to  drink ;  they  had  left  their  rifles 
standing  outside  the  door,  and  some  one  came  up  and  fired  off  a 
few  shots — ^killing  two  natives  in  the  experiment !  Two  rifles 
were  lost  in  the  alarm  which  followed.  The  whole  district 
Avas  roused ;  Stairs  was  sent  off  in  one  direction,  Jephson  in 
another,  and  I  was  sent  to  recover  the  two  lost  rifles :  which  I 
succeeded  in  doing  without  firing  a  shot — through  the  assist- 
ance of  a  native  who  volunteered  to  recover  them  for  me,  and 
kept  his  engagement.  The  two  •  men  who  had  lost  their 
rifles,  and  also  their  comrades  who  had  accompanied  them, 
were  punished  for  having  strayed  away  without  permission. 

Bonny  is  down  with  high  fever;  there  are  a  good  many 
cases  of  it  among  the  men.  Another  man  has  got  a  sunstroke, 
and  is  developing  exactly  the  same  series  of  symptoms  as 
did  the  man  who  died  yesterday.  He  has  extremely  high 
temperature,  is  developing  paralysis  of  his  limbs,  and  slight 
aphasia  is  beginning  to  show  itself.  These  are  the  first  cases 
of  sunstroke  I  have  seen  since  we  found  Emin  Pasha.  I  have 
no  doubt  that  tlie  remarkable  immunity  of  our  men  from 
sunstroke  can  be  partially  credited  to  the  fact  that  the  heads 
of  the  carriers  were  always  protected  by  their  loads  during  the 
march ;  but  I  do  not  by  any  means  think  that  their  safety  was 
altogether  due  to  this.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  have  seen  more 
cases  of  sunstroke  in  one  day  at  Aldershot,  than  I  have  ever 


456  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

met  with  in  the  whole  course  of  my  seven  years'  African  ex- 
perience, inchiding  the  Eg-yptian  war  of  1882,  and  the  Nile 
Campaign  of  1884-85 — although  in  the  latter  I  went  as  far 
south  as  Metammeh — within  sixty  miles  or  so  of  Khartoum. 
Drinh  is  certainly  the  most  powerful  predisposing  cause  of 
the  development  of  the  symptoms  of  sunstroke. 

Amongst  these  hills  there  is  a  difference  of  20°  F.  between 
the  temperature  of  day  and  night,  and  as  the  men  have  not 
always  materials  at  hand  to  construct  huts  for  their  shelter 
during  the  night,  they  are  obliged  to  sleep  on  the  cold  ground, 
and  exposed  to  a  really  bitter  chill,  which  reminds  me  of  our 
experience  on  reaching  the  Nile  at  the  termination  of  the 
Desert  March  for  Gordon's  relief:  the  nights  then  were 
extremely  cold,  although  the  heat  during  the  day  was  exces- 
sive, while  the  nights  spent  in  the  desert  had  never  felt  chilly 
until  we  came  near  to  the  waters  of  the  Nile.  I  attribute  to 
these  sharp  alternations  of  temperature — and  the  consequent 
disorders  of  circulation,  a  strongly  predisposing  action  in 
the  production  of  these;; cases  of  insolation,  hitherto  almost 
unknown  to  the  Expedition. 

There  are  thousands  ofjicattle  roaming  over  this  region: 
they  present  a  great  variety  of  colours,  and  the  full-grown 
ones  are  usually  about  the  size  of  an  English  "three-year-old," 
They  nearly  all  have  the  hump  over  the  shoulders.  We  met 
large  herds  of  them,  at  intervals  of  a  couple  of  miles  or  so,, 
grazing  near  our  path. 

Nelson  and  Stairs  were  sent  back  to-day,  to  fetch  the  meat 
that  had  been  left  yesterday.  There  is  little  or  no  firewood  to 
be  found  anywhere  in  these  parts,  and  we  are  obliged  to  make 
shift  with  the  stalks  of  the  matainmah  as  fuel.  The  result  is- 
that  we  all  suffer  a  good  deal  from  the  nocturnal  chiJl. 

The  natives,  altliough  friendly,  are  very  stingy  with  .us. 
There  are  so  many  tliousands  of  cattle  about  in  all  directions, 
yet  they  will  not  bring  us  a  scrap  of  eilher  milk  or  butter :  not 
even  to  sell.  Wo  are  now  on  a  plateau,  which  is  a  great 
comfort  after  the  hills ;  as  there  are  no  gusts  of  cold  air,  to 
whirl  round  the  corners,  and  give  us  a  chill  and  fever.  The- 
valleys  are  always  much  colder  than  the  hills  :  as  the  heavy,  cold 
air  remains  below  till  ;the  sun  has  reached  a  sufficiently  high 
altitude  to  warm  it  by^its-radiation,  when  it  ascends  in  chilling 
currents.     The  air  on  the  plateau  is  (thank  Providence !)  uni- 


1889.]      MARCH    THROUGH  ANKOUI  AND   KARAGWE.      457 

formly  heated  ;  so  that  our  cases  of  chills  and  consequent  fever 
are  rapidly  diminishing.  Besides,  in  the  hilly  and  swampy 
country  which  we  have  recently  been  crossing,  we  were 
obliged  to  drink  water  from  the  stagnant,  papyrus-grown 
swamps ;  which,  in  itself,  was  quite  enough  to  sicken  any  one, 
and  give  him  fever.  We  did  our  best  to  neutralise  the  poison- 
ous qualities  of  this  water  by  always  boiling  at  night  a  supply 
for  our  water-bottles  on  the  following  day. 

My  second  case  of  sunstroke,  Khamis  Nasebo,  died  last 
night :  he  had  developed  paralysis,  and  passed  gradually  into 
a  state  of  comjilete  coma. 

The  Swahili-speaking  Uganda  visitors  returned  to  King 
Antari  yesterday. 

July  14. — We  made  a  long  march  to-day,  and  reached  a 
chain  of  barren  hills,  at  the  bottom  of  which  was  a  very  large 
settlement  which  we  occupied.  The  natives  seemed  disposed 
to  take  the  upper  hand,  for  they  seized  Fundi  Said's  rifle  on 
his  coming  into  the  village  ;  they,  however,  were  afterwards 
gracious  enough  to  return  it.  There  are  plenty  of  bananas 
here ;  also  some  ivernhi,  a  grain  like  matammah,  but  much 
smaller  in  size. 

July  15. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day ;  as  we  are  pre- 
paring seven  days'  food,  to  fortify  ourselves  with  before  we 
recommence  our  journey.  We  expect  at  the  end  of  three  of 
these  days  to  have  reached  the  Alexandra  Nile ;  we  will  spend 
two  days  in  passing  it ;  and  we  hope  in  seven  more  days  to  have 
reached  the  King's  capital,  where  we  will  be  able  to  purchase 
food. 

I  had  a  very  severe  attack  of  fever  yesterday,  and  another 
to-day.     Jephson's  temperature  is  over  105"^  F.  this  evening. 

Mr.  Stanley  j)unished  several  of  the  Zanzibaris  to-day  for 
stealing  from  the  natives. 

July  16.^ — ^We  again  remain  in  camp  to-day ;  we  must  be 
cautious  in  our  peregrinations  here,  as  some  of  the  Pasha's 
people  have  had  their  rifles  stolen  by  the  natives,  and  one  of 
them  has  received  a  thrust  from  a  native  spear.  Mr.  Stanley 
received  a  visit  to-day  from  a  cousin  of  His  Majesty  King 
Antari :  he  is  a  very  skinny  individual.  He  wears  a  strip  of 
red  calico,  which  covers  his  shoulders  and  loins. 

I  was  slightly  better  this  morning.  Jephson's  temperature 
is  still  high  (l05°  F.  this  evening). 


458  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

July  17. — We  marched  along— over  high  hills  and  through 
deep  valleys — till  11.30  a.m.  All  our  rifles  have  been  re- 
covered ;  so  that  the  natives  are  not  so  vicious  as  we  were 
beginning  to  fear.  We  camped  in  a  large  banana  plantation, 
where  all  the  men  can  make  huts.  There  is  a  great  deal  of 
fever  again  prevailing — these  hilly  regions  always  do  it. 

July  18. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day.  The  natives 
bring  goats,  fowls,  sweet  potatoes,  &c.,  &c.,  to  sell ;  but  will 
only  take  cloth  in  exchange,  and  we  have  little  or  none  to 
give — so  there  is  no  bargain. 

Omar,  a  chief,  who  was  sent  to  the  capital,  has  now  re- 
turned, and  gratified  us  by  informing  us  that  we  could  have 
come  a  shorter  and  a  better  road. 

July  19. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day.  Mr.  Stanley, 
Stairs,  and  the  Pasha  are  all  down  with  fever  at  present ;  the 
Pasha's  temperature  is  103°  F.  this  evening.  Two  princes  of 
the  blood-royal,  sons  of  His  Majesty  King  Antari,  are  expected 
here  to-day  :  we  are  naturally  thrilled  with  the  prospect. 

July  20. — Some  Wauyamwezi,  who  had  come  from  the 
capital,  say  that  the  Germans  have  bombarded  Bagamoyo,  as 
one  of  their  subjects  was  killed. 

Mr.  Stanley,  the  Pasha,  and  Stairs  have  all  recovered  from 
the  fever,  and  Bonny  is  taking  a  turn  of  it  now.  Nelson  has 
had  very  much  less  fever  than  any  of  us,  as  he  carefully  carries 
out  the  prophylactic  treatment  already  alluded  to. 

I  purchased  two  fowls  to-day,  for  two  spoonfuls  of  beads. 
We  remained  in  camp  all  day,  but  our  hopes  of  seeing  the 
king's  sons  have,  up  to  the  present,  been  deferred. 

July  21. — On  leaving  camp  this  morning,  three  of  the 
Pasha's  people  expressed  their  desire  to  remain  behind,  and 
were  allowed  to  act  accordingly.  They  excused  themselves 
from  proceeding  further,  on  the  plea  that  they  were  suffering 
from  ulcers ;  laziness,  and  the  neighbourhood  of  plenty,  were, 
I  have  no  doubt  whatever,  the  real  reasons  of  their  stay. 

Some  children  wlio  were  left  behind  by  the  Pasha's  people 
were  at  once  seized  by  the  natives — not  for  cannibalistic  jmr- 
poses,  as  these  people  are  not  cannibals — but  as  a  variety  of 
adoption  which  is  sometimes  called  slavery:  a  substantive 
which,  being  interpreted,  means  that  the  individuals  concerned 
have  to  work  for  their  food ;  domestics  under  these  conditions 
are  otherwise  well  treated. 


1889.]      MARCH   TIIIIOUGII  ANKORI  AND   KARAGWE.      459 

July  22. — We  marched  early ;  and  camped  iu  a  large 
banana  plantation.  Shortly  after  our  advent  the  young  prince 
arrived,  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  his  valet,  with  his  legs 
hanging  down,  one  on  either  side  of  the  neck  of  the  latter. 
He  was  brought  to  Mr.  Stanley's  tent,  where  a  large  crowd 
had  gathered  to  see  him.  He  is  a  rather  nice-looking  lad,  of 
about  fourteen  years  old. 

The  huts  which  we  slept  in  at  last  night's  camp  were  alive 
with  rats,  bugs,  fleas,  &c.,  &c.,  so  that  we  turned  out  in  the 
morning  like  boiled  lobsters,  our  invariable  condition  after 
sleeping  a  night  in  the  native  huts.  The  rats  have  a  playful 
way  of  dropping  from  the  ceiling,  occasionally  right  on  to 
one's  nose.     The  people  are  very  loyal  to  their  king. 

We  have  a  splendid  supply  of  bananas  here. 

July  23. — This  morning  was  occupied  by  the  performance 
of  the  ceremony  of  blood-brotherhood  between  the  royal  prince 
and  Mr,  Stanley.  The  sanguineous  scratch  was  on  the  arm 
in  their  case ;  two  volleys  were  fired  by  No.  1  Company,  three 
cheers  were  delivered,  and  the  action  of  the  Maxim  gun  was 
displayed.  Our  chief  should  certainly  by  this  time  have  an 
exceptionally  select  supply  of  blood  in  his  veins,  for  it  would 
be  dif2cult — for  himself  even — to  enumerate  the  quantity  of 
kings,  princes,  and  sultans  with  whom  he  has  performed  the 
rite  of  "  blood-brotherhood."  I  am  not  aware  that  he  has 
ever  j^erformed  a  similar  blend  of  friendships  with  any  queen 
or  princess  of  the  royal  bloods  of  Africa,  although  he  might 
have  been  inoculated  with  some  of  the  vital  fluid  of  the  fair 
sex  had  he  elected  to  pass  through  Euanda. 

There  are  great  numbers  of  tomatoes  hero,  very  excellent 
in  quality,  although  rather  small  in  size. 

July  24, — We  marched  about  six  miles  to-day,  and  reached 
a  banana  plantation,  where  we  camped.  We  have  also  good 
water  to  drink  here.  Khamis's  boy  hid  himself  in  the  grass 
on  the  march,  and,  thereby  escaping  our  rear-guard,  was  lost 
to  our  caravan,  I  suppose  he  has  now  been  appropriated  by 
the  natives.  We  have  had  a  good  deal  of  ophthalmia  among 
our  men ;  my  own  right  eye  is  perfectly  blind  from  it.  It  is 
most  serious,  as  there  is  no  malady  more  thoroughly  disables 
a  man  on  the  battle-field,  or  in  a  hostile  country,  than  this ; 
it  leaves  one  perfectly  helpless. 

The  natives  grow  coffee  here,  and  have   already  sold   us 


4G0  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICA.         [1889. 

some  in  the  shell ;  it  is,  however,  a  very  expensive  luxury, 
for  they  ask  as  much  as  fifteen  cowries  per  handful.  AVe 
crushed  the  coffee-shells  in  a  mortar,  and  then  toasted  the  beans 
over  a  fire :  they  made  us  very  excellent  coffee  indeed. 

We  whites  are  all,  more  or  less,  under  the  influence  of  fever 
at  present.  Bonny  has  more  complaints  than  Jenner  could 
master :  from  the  crown  of  his  head  down  to  the  least  present- 
able part  of  his  body,  every  spot  has  a  special  series  of 
symptoms  of  its  own,  and  a  history  attached  thereto.  He  is 
himself  an  empirical  doctor;  he  tells  me  he  cannot  eat,  drink, 
sleep,  &c.,  &c.,  and  wishes  me  to  give  him  some  caflein  or  a 
"  starvation  tabloid."  He  has  not  yet  thoroughly  recovered  those 
dreadful  days  of  absolute  starvation  on  the  banks  of  the  Ituri, 
where  he  came  near  leaving  his  bones  amongst  those  of  his 
black  companions,  as  a  monument  of  devotion  to  his  duty. 

July  25. — AVe  marched  till  noon,  when  we  reached  the 
Alexandra  Nile;  it  is  at  this  place  broader  than  the  Semliki 
Eiver  (about  100  yards),  but  has  a  much  more  rapid  current, 
and  is  somewhat  deeper — about  5^  feet  in  depth  at  mid-stream. 

After  reaching  camp,  the  Manyuema  who  carried  my  tent 
returned  to  fetch  his  wife,  who  was  ill,  and  following  along 
slowly ;  he  did  not,  however,  return  to  camp — both  he  and  his 
wife  were  found  dead  close  to  the  path,  where  they  had  been 
speared  by  the  natives.     The  assassins  had  taken  away  his  rifle. 

I  am  barely  able  to  distinguish  between  day  and  night  with 
my  eyes.  I  am  now  wearing  green  goggles,  which  I  originally 
purchased  for  the  Nile  Expedition,  1884-8").  There  is  no  mis- 
taking the  "  modification  of  function "  produced  by  this 
()})hthalmia.  Ali  S(miali,  vel  London  (of  No.  1  Company),  did 
not  reach  camp  to-night ;  he  had  complained  of  a  pain  in  his 
head  in  the  morniug,  but  had  no  fever. 

July  2G. — AVe  marched  to  the  ferry  this  morniug,  about 
half  an  hour's  walk,  where  we  found  six  or  eight  canoes ;  of 
which,  however,  some  were  quite  unfit  for  use.  However, 
after  some  delay,  and  a  good  deal  of  palaver,  three  canoes 
were  lent  to  us  by  the  natives,  but  they  took  away  one  of 
these  soon  after.  The  canoes  were  at  first  poled  for  us  by 
the  natives ;  but  they  soon  got  tired  of  the  hard  work,  and  the 
Zanzibaris  then  took  it  up.  Emin  Pasha  and  most  of  his- 
])eople,  also  Stairs  with  No.  2  Company,  were  canoed  across 
during  the  day.     Nelson  returned  with   No.  3    Company  to 


1S89.]      MARCH   THROUGH  ANKORI  AND   KARAGWE.      461 

try  to  find  London.  They  did  find  him,  and  in  good  healtli 
too ;  he  was  able  to  walk  into  camp  as  well  as  any  man  there ; 
the  loafer  should  have  been  well  punished  for  remaining 
behind  in  this  way,  and  causing  so  much  trouble.  Blacks 
and  whites  are  all  the  same  in  this  one  respect,  both  at  home 
and  abroad,  when  they  have  been  sick  for  some  weeks  or  months, 
and  received  medicine  and  sympathy  without  work,  they  almost 
invariably  become  goee-goees,  which,  being  freely  interpreted, 
means  good-for-nothing  hypochondriacs. 

July  27. — The  remainder  of  the  people  of  our  caravan  were 
transported  across  the  Alexandra  Nile  to-day.  Three  of  our 
cows  were  unfortunately  lost ;  they  stuck  in  the  mud,  and 
could  not  be  got  out  of  it.  Emin  Pasha,  Stairs,  Jephson, 
Bonny,  and  myself,  are  all  down  with  the  severest  form  of 
fever  to-day;  this  I  attribute  to  the  cold  breezes  to  whicli 
we  have  been  exposed.  I  am  still  perfectly  blind  in  my  right 
eye,  so  that  I  feel  a  horrible  sense  of  insecurity.  What  on 
earth  could  I  do  if  a  row  occurred  now  ? — pull  the  trigger  for 
better  or  for  worse,  and  probably  shoot  my  best  friend ;  which, 
I  presume,  would  be  only  manslaughter,  not  murder. 

The  margin  of  this  river  forms  a  swamp  on  either  side  for  a 
breadih  of  about  100  yards,  which  is  thickly  overgrown  with 
papyrus. 

The  country  which  Ave  have  now  entered  is  called  Karagwe. 
The  face  of  Nature  here  seems  to  wear  features  similar  to 
those  of  the  Ankori  country — high,  rugged  mountain  ridges, 
interspersed  with  deep  ravines,  and  very  little  water,  except 
what  can  be  procured  from  stagnant  swamps. 

July  28. — We  marched  about  five  miles  into  the  Karague 
country  to-day,  and  halted,  about  10.20  a.m.,  close  to  a  swamp, 
as  there  was  no  other  water  to  be  got. 

Mr.  Stanley,  Stairs,  Bonny,  and  three  of  the  men,  had  all  to 
be  carried  to-day,  each  being  prostrate  with  high  fever.  Three 
boxes  of  W^inchester  ammunition  were  thrown  into  the  river 
yesterday,  as  there  were  no  men  to  carry  them ;  we  have 
however,  plenty  left,  as  Mr.  Stanley  knows  this  country,  and 
has  been  very  fortunate  in  making  friends. 

July  29. — We  marched  eight-and-a-half  miles  this  morning, 
«and  stopped  at  Mtagata,  a  region  of  thermal  springs.  There 
.are  seven  separate  springs  here,  and  six  large  pools  receive 
the  warm  water.     They  are  all  very  much  used  by  the  natives, 


462  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.         [1889. 

who  come  from  very  long  distances  for  the  purpose  of  bathing 
in  the  waters,  and  also  drinking  them.  They  often  lie  in  the 
baths  for  hours  at  a  time.  Mr.  Stanley  was  familiar  with  this 
place,  as  he  had  visited  it  before.  Vide  Analysis  "  Dark 
Continent,"  p.  467. 

July  30. — Some  syphilitic  natives  are  here,  trying  to 
wash  the  lues  out  of  their  systems  with  these  thermal  waters. 
The  superficies  of  the  baths  varies,  from  twenty  feet  by  twelve 
to  six  by  three.  The  usual  depth  is  about  three  feet.  The 
bottom  is  of  earth  and  gravel.  The  temperature  of  the  hottest 
of  the  springs  is  111°  F. ;  the  others  are  very  little  less.  Close 
to  the  largest  {i.e.,  the  most  northerly)  bath  there  is  a  cold 
water  spring.  There  is  a  continuous  current  of  water  passing 
through  each  bath :  a  copious  supply  passing  in,  and  a  free 
discharge  from  each ;  accordingly,  they  are  kept  fairly  clean. 
The  hot  water  is  not  unpleasant  to  drink,  and  is  very  good  to 
make  tea  with.  This  is  such  a  contrast  to  the  Karagwe  water 
we  have  been  using ;  the  latter  was  extremely  ferruginous. 
The  water  was  almost  undrinkable,  from  the  amount  of  iron 
in  it,  and  stained  the  swamps  and  river  banks  with  its  brown 
deposit.  Plenty  of  slag  was  to  be  found  both  there  and  also 
close  to  the  Semliki  (where  I  performed  blood-brotherhood 
with  the  Wahuma  chief).  It  was  evidently  a  native  foundry, 
as  hammers,  anvil,  bellows,  and  coke  were  found  in  abundance. 
According  to  the  expressed  opinion  of  my  boy  Muftah  (and 
also  of  my  faithful  dwarf),  this  ferruginous  water  was  of 
superlative  excellence  in  tea  making ;  for  they  had  found,  by 
repeated  experiments,  that  a  few  grains  of  tea  -would  make  a 
given  quantity  of  it  as  black  and  as  strong  for  drinking  pur- 
poses as  would  a  spoonful  in  the  case  of  any  other  water  they 
liad  ever  used  {i.e.,  of  course,  by  forming  tannate  of  iron). 

I  took  a  thermal  bath,  and  found  it  extremely  pleasant. 
These  baths  occupy  the  south-western  extremity  of  a  ravine 
or  glen,  which  ends  here  in  a  cul-de-sac,  being  enclosed  by 
precipitous  hills  all  around,  except  on  the  eastern  side.  There 
are  rhinoceroses  in  this  part  of  the  country  ;  Mr.  Stanley  had 
a  shot  at  one  yesterday,  and  some  of  the  men  are  out  to-day 
trying  to  secure  rhinoceros  meat. 

One  of  Kibbo-bora's  wives  died  of  dysentery  to-day.  I  told 
him,  five  or  six  days  ago,  that  she  would  die  if  not  attended 
to ;  I  then  gave  her  medicine  once  or  twice,  but  Avhen  she  felt 


1889.]      MARCH   THROUGH  ANKORI  AND   KARAGWE.     463 

a  little  relieved  she  gave  up  attending,  and  her  husband  gave 
her  a  load  to  carry.  So  her  tender-hearted  sponse  reallv 
killed  her,  by  his  exercise  of  the  two-fold  office  of  neglect  and 
cruelty.  When  she  was  dead,  however,  as  is  the  custom  with 
the  Manyuema,  he  and  his  harem  howled  most  piteously,  night 
and  day,  for  about  twenty-four  hours. 

July  31. — We  marched  to  a  banana  plantation  to-day, 
where  we  camped  for  the  night.  One  of  Nelson's  chiefs  was 
suspected  of  having  stolen  cowries,  and  was  placed  under 
arrest ;  but  on  sifting  the  evidence,  he  was  found  "  not  guilty," 
and  at  once  released.  Kendi,  my  tent-bearer,  deserted ;  and 
Hari,  my  chief,  was  then  appointed  to  the  duty  of  carrying  it. 

Of  all  the  negroes,  pigmies,  cannibals,  &c.,  &c.,  which  I 
have  met  with  in  Africa,  the  Manyuema  are  certainly  the 
worst  and  most  vicious.  Some  of  the  men  are,  however,  very 
line  specimens  of  the  human  animal,  if  regarded  from  that 
point  of  view  only ;  and  some  of  the  women  are  undeniably 
handsome,  Avith  beautiful  necks  and  shoulders,  high  foreheads, 
thin  lips,  and  thin,  well-formed  noses ;  with  other  features  and 
formations,  which  combine  to  give  them  a  well-proportioned 
figure,  that  stands  out  in  striking  contrast  to  the  pendulous, 
gross,  and  ungainly  figures  of  the  Nubians  and  Egyptians. 
The  Manyuema  women,  when  sufficient  material  is  |)i'ovided, 
wear  a  long  cloth  tied  around  the  chest — at  the  average  height 
of  a  low-body  European  dress,  both  fore  and  aft — and  hanging 
to  the  ankles,  without  any  embroidery. 

Aug.  1. — We  marched  on  to-day  till  we  reached  a  very 
large  banana  plantation,  where  my  little  pigmy  woman  was 
suddenly  struck  down  with  extremely  high  fever.  Since  we 
left  the  great  forest  she  has  had  several  severe  attacks,  but 
struggled  along  in  spite  of  increasing  weakness,  and  would 
persist  in  accompanying  our  caravan.  In  common  with  all 
the  other  pigmies  who  followed  us  into  the  open  plains,  she 
suffered  greatly  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  although  she 
had  the  exclusive  use  of  an  umbrella  which  I  made  for  her. 
I  also  gave  her  the  pair  of  scarlet  breeches  which  Mr.  Stanley 
had  kindly  given  to  me ;  these  she  managed  to  cover  her  head 
with,  by  passing  her  arms  through  the  legs — in  which  arrange- 
ment, of  course,  the  then  ujjper  portion  of  the  inverted 
garment  was  easily  made  to  accommodate  itself  to  her  head. 
Like  all  natives,  when  at  all  ill,  she  lies  on  the  ground,  thinks 


4G4  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

she  is  going  to  die,  and  will  make  no  effort  to  get  along.  ]Most 
of  the  pigmies  who  left  their  homes  in  the  dense  shady  forest, 
and  accompanied  us  out  to  the  open  plains,  have  now  pined  away. 
I  leave  my  poor  little  JMonbuttu  woman  here  with  friendly 
natives,  as  she  is  unable  to  accompany  us  any  further,  and  we 
have  no  carriers.  She  is  a  very  great  loss  to  me  indeed ;  while 
she  was  able  to  do  it  she  always  carried  my  food.  She  was  a 
universal  favourite  in  the  caravan,  and  our  parting  with  her  was 
a  very  pathetic  one.  I  had  good  reason,  indeed,  to  be  grateful 
to  her  for  the  past.  I  have  to  thank  her  for  the  comparatively 
o-ood  health  which  I  enjoyed  in  the  forest,  especially  during  the 
starvation  period ;  when  she  collected  for  me  the  roots,  leaves, 
funo-i,  insects,  &c.,  &c.,  which  were  good  to  eat,  and  which  were, 
of  course,  known  only  to  the  natives.  I  might  have  starved,  or 
mio-ht  have  been  poisoned,  had  it  not  been  for  her  ministering 
care.  She  was  always  devoted  and  faithful  to  me,  and,  unlike 
some  other  ladies  of  the  Dark  Continent,  her  morals  were 
entirely  above  suspicion.  Her  parting  was  singularly  affecting 
and  grateful,  and  her  loss  really  cast  a  gloom  over  the  caravan, 
as  she  was  such  a  general  favourite,  always  cheery  aitd  obliging. 
Although  her  scanty  costume  only  consisted  of  Mr.  Stanley's 
scarlet  breeches,  an  umbrella,  and  a  vine  tied  around  her  waist 
as  a  belt — from  which  nothing  was  suspended ;  yet  this  little 
dwarf  always  maintained  an  exalted  dignity  and  superior 
position  amongst  the  other  women  of  the  caravan,  and  never 
once  have  I  known  her  to  be  a  trouble  to  any  one.  She 
nursed  me  through  many  and  many  a  fever  with  characteristic 
gentleness  and  modesty,  and  her  last  act  at  parting  was  to 
o-ive  me  the  ivory  bangles  which  she  wore  in  the  forest,  but 
which  had  now  dropped  from  her  attenuated  arms  and  ankles. 
Vide  Nos.  20  and  23  on  page  500. 

We  saw  the  IMerure  lake  to-day. 

Aug.  2. — We  marched  about  seven  miles  this  morning,  and 
lialted  in  a  banana  plantation.  Our  water  supply  is,  unhappily, 
a  mile  and  a  half  away.  Yesterday,  indeed,  it  was  still  further 
off.     We  saw  the  Windermere  lake  to-day. 

Last  night  Mr.  Stanley  called  me  up  a  little  after  midnight, 
as  he  was  suffering  greatly  from  muscular  pains  in  the  calves  of 
his  leo-s.  I  gave  him  a  hypodermic  dose  of  three-quarters  of  a 
•n-ain  of  morphine,  which  relieved  the  pains,  and  he  went  to 
sleep  soon  after. 


1889.]      MABCII  THROUGH  ANKOIil  AND   KAIiAGWK      4G5 

Aug.  3. — We  reached  Kafuvro  shortly  after  11  a.m.  to-day, 
and  camped  on  a  site  which  had  formerly  been  occui^ied  by 
trading  Arabs,  bnt  is  now  the  wretched-looking  wreck  of  a 
deserted  settlement.  All  the  mnd-walled  houses  which  had 
been  built  by  the  Arabs  in  the  prosperous  days  of  their 
trading  here,  are  now  thrown  down.  The  place  was,  it  appears, 
formerly  occupied  by  five  or  six  well-to-do  Arabs,  Avith  their 
respective  households.  All  but  two  of  them  are  now  dead, 
and  these  survivors  have  gone  to  Unyanyembe  and  Msalala 
respectively.  The  several  graves  occupied  by  the  deceased 
Arabs  are  still  to  be  seen ;  and  the  only  living  relics  of  their 
residence  are  one  lemon  tree,  and  some  tomatoes,  which  they 
had  planted. 

We  saw  the  Windermere  lake  again  to-day. 

Aug.  4. — An  old  man  named  Kiengo  came  to  see  Mr.  Stanley ; 
he  had  accompanied  Speke  and  Grant  as  far  as  Uganda.  The 
old  fellow  is  very  comfortably  off,  and  his  hut  is  surrounded 
by  a  large  cattle  kraal.  He  fee'd  me  with  a  sheep,  for  some 
professional  advice  which  I  gave  his  son. 

The  king  of  this  country,  a  boy  of  about  sixteen  or  seventeen 
years  of  age,  sent  word  to  Mr.  Stanley  to  rest  in  camp  to-day 
and  to-?iiorrow,  and  that  he  would  send  plenty  of  food.  The 
natives  bring  small  quantities  of  potatoes,  flour,  chickens,  &c., 
to  our  camp  to  sell,  but  they  ask  enormous  prices. 

Most  of  the  people  here  wear  skins  ;  the  remainder  are 
clothed  in  Manchester  ware — of  very  indifferent  quality,  and 
very  dirty. 

Aug.  5. — Jephson  ascended  the  hills  to-day  to  pay  his 
respects  to  His  Majesty  the  King.  He  found  the  royal  per- 
sonage living  in  a  small  hut  of  circular  shape — insignificant- 
looking  without,  and  extremely  filthy  within — and  looking 
more  like  a  "  sweep  "  than  a  representative  of  royalty. 

This  appears  to  have  been  an  important  commercial  locality 
in  the  prosperous  days  of  the  Arab  settlement.  The  Arab 
traders  attracted  large  markets  for  the  purchase  of  ivory.  All 
this  is,  however,  now  changed,  and  tliere  is  nothing  but  deso- 
lation about. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  Kiengo  to-day.  He  has  about  fifteen  huts 
within  his  courtyard,  and  a  plentiful  store  of  dirt.  He 
"  receives  "  on  a  barazan.  The  king  sent  a  present  of  food — 
insufficient  to  feed  our  p-jople  for  one  day. 

2  K 


46G  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

Aug.  6. — The  king  sent  a  very  few  bunches  of  bananas  to 
us  to-day.  I  sold  Kieugo  a  £25  hammerless  gun  (by  Reilly) 
for  about  eighty  yards  of  cloth — very  inferior  stuff  indeed. 
With  the  usual  African  instincts  of  bargain-making  he  sent 
me  in  return  four  doti  of  the  cloth,  accompanied  by  a  message 
promising  that  he  would  give  me  the  remainder  in  the  early 
morning  when  Ave  were  starting  off ;  as  we  would  have  to  pass 
by  his  hut,  and  that  I  could  give  him  the  gun  at  once.  Like 
most  negroes,  however,  he  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  out 
the  truth ;  so,  after  some  hesitation,  he  took  back  the  cloth, 
and  left  me  the  gun.  On  these  data,  I  diagnosed  the  presence 
of  ignorance,  attempted  craft,  and  savage  stupidity  in  this 
case. 

Karagwe,  so  far  as  we  have  seen  it,  is  the  least  fertile  and 
least  enterprising  of  the  African  territories  through  which  we 
have  as  yet  passed.  Kafurro,  the  capital,  is  armed  by,  at  the 
most,  between  thirty  and  forty  rifles.  Very  few  of  the  natives 
appear  to  do  sporting  or  hunting  of  any  kind.  Any  one 
of  them  who  possesses  a  rifle  carries  it  about  with  him,  whether 
he  has  any  ammunition  or  not.  The  king's  hut  (palace  ! )  was, 
like  most  of  the  dwellings  in  this  part  of  Africa,  entirely  unfit 
for  a  human  being  to  live  in.  His  present  to  us  was  a  very 
shabby  one. 

Aug.  7. — We  marched  to-day  over  very  rough  gravelly 
ground,  and  then  up  precipitous  hills,  which  we  found  extremely 
laborious  work.  From  the  hills  we  saw  a  lake  (Muero),  which 
had,  I  believe,  been  seen  by  Speke  and  Grant.  This  is  a  very 
barren,  dried-up,  uninteresting  country. 

Aug.  8. — Our  native  guide  had  originally  engaged  to  come 
with  us  to  another  camp,  but  refused  to-day ;  and  requested  to 
be  paid,  so  that  he  might  return  to  his  friends  and  relations. 
He  thought  that  he  understood  fellows  like  us.  But  Mr.  Stanley 
brought  him  on  to  the  next  camp,  where  he  gave  him  his 
cloth,  and  permitted  him  to  depart  in  peace. 

Aug.  9. — We  camped  to-day  in  the  midst  of  bananas.  Ten 
cows  were  killed  to  provision  our  caravan. 

Stairs  and  I  both  have  fever  to-day.  In  the  evening- 
Mr.  Stanley  invited  Stairs,  Nelson,  Jcphson,  and  myself  into 
liis  tent  for  a  chat.  We  found  him  in  remarkably  good  spirits, 
wliich  he  attributed  to  a  relieved  liver. 

I  purchased  four  chickens  to-day  for  a  cow-skin — t\^o  babas 


1889.]      MARCH   THROUOTI  ANKOEI  AND   KABAGWK      467 

(males),  and  two  bebes  (females).  We  remained  in  camp,  as 
we  are  collecting  a  supply  of  food  for  six  days — before  starting 
forward  again.  Yesterday  was  the  coldest  day  I  have  ever 
experienced  in  Africa — up  to  about  2  p.m.  Several  of  the 
liitle  children  died  from  the  intense  cold.  Every  one  of  the 
small  people  seemed  to  stiffen  up  with  the  chill,  and  aj)peared 
entirely  unable  to  use  their  rigid  limbs.  As  the  sun  was  not 
visible,  and  rain  continued  to  fall  till  some  time  after  noon, 
fires  were  lighted  along  the  route,  and  the  little  ones  were 
brought  near  them,  and  made  comfortable  with  the  warmth — a 
precaution  which  certainly  saved  many  lives. 

Aug.  10.— We  started  early  this  morning :  first  marching 
down  a  steep  hill,  then  immediately  up  another,  equally  steep 
and  rocky ;  from  w^hich  we  descended  a  fearfully  rocky  and 
sharp  incline ;  then  passed  on  to  a  large  swampy  plain — over- 
grown with  papyrus — and  reached  Lake  Urigi.  This  body  of 
water  is  about  fifty  miles  in  length,  but  narrow,  and  shoots  out 
branches  in  all  directions. 

We  had  marched  from  6.30  a.m.  till  2  p.m.  My  temperature 
has  been  at  105°  F.  all  day  long. 

Aug.  11. — We  marched  across  hills  and  valleys  to-day, 
and  camped — again  near  the  lake.  We  procured  two  large 
fishes  from  the  natives  here;  both  of  them  contained  flat 
worms,  so  I  unhesitatingly  denounced  them  as  unfit  for  human 
food.  I  also  gave  directions  to  have  all  the  water  thoroughly 
boiled  before  drinking. 

We  marched  from  6.30  a.m.  till  11.30  A.M.  My  temperature 
was  102°  F.  when  starting  ;  when  we  halted  at  camping-place 
it  was  normal — an  experience  which  demonstrates  pretty 
satisfactorily  that  exe^xise  does  not  prolong  an  attach  of  this 
fever,  although  when  in  a  low  condition  fatigue  certainly 
aggravates  it. 


2  H  2 


468  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [186^ 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ME.  mackay's  mission-station  at  usambiro. 

Unprovoked  attack  on  the  natives  by  some  of  our  worst  cliaracters — FatlicI 
Mullah,  a  Nubian,  is  handed  over  to  the  natives  for  iiunishment — The 
march  to  Piuanda — Present  from  the  old  chief  in  return  for  professional 
advice — Our  first  glimpse  of  the  Victoria  Nyanza — Delay  caused  by  non- 
appearance of  promised  guides — Sorcery  among  the  natives — AVe  camp 
on  the  shores  of  Lake  Victoria — Charmed  lives  possessed  by  the  Euro- 
peans of  the  Expedition — We  enter  the  King  of  Usui's  dominion — 
Remains  of  a  dead  Zebra — Flight  ol  natives  from  their  huts  while  passing 
through  Usambiro's  country — Quantities  of  honey — A  strange  custom  of 
King  Mirambo's — Local  rumours — Perpetnal  inter-tribal  animosity — 
Lack  of  good  drinking-water' — The  French  Missionary  Station  at 
Bukumbi — Hearty  reception  by  Mr.  Mackay  at  Usambiro — Description 
of  the  mission  station — Mr.  Mackay  a  wonderful  mechanic — Welcome 
news  and  letters — -The  Germans  and  Zanzibar — My  experiences  of 
malarial  fever  from  the  Piuwenzori  range  to  the  Coast — The  symptoms 
and  progress  of  an  attack  of  fever — Miss  Berkeley's  experiences  of  African 
fever  among  missionaries  —  At  all  altitudes  we  suH'ered  with  fever — 
Administration  of  quinine  for  fever — No  cases  of  the  ha;morrhagic  form 
of  malarial  fever — Mr.  Mackay  kindly  replenishes  my  stock  of  medicines- 
and  provides  other  necessary  articles  for  our  use — English  missionaries 
in  Equatorial  Africa  are  much  handicapped— An  attack  of  ophthalmia 
prevents  me  from  finishing  my  regular  diary— Chances  of  survival  of  the 
white  man  in  Africa — -The  principal  varieties  of  African  produce  on 
which  we  subsisted — Plantains  and  bananas — Potatoes — Meat  and  fish 
— Insects  and  reptiles — Cereals — Manioc — Cassava — Forest  beans  and 
fruits — European  provisions — Mboga — Mohoga  and  other  leaves  ouj 
which  we  subsisted — Patience  and  forbearance  of  the  Zanzibaris  during 
their  trials  of  starvation — My  Zanzibari  chii  f,  Feruzi  Ali — Our  ex- 
hausted condition  during  the  starvation  period— My  medical  experiences 
on  board  the  S.S.  Madura  and  Oriental — Descriptitm  of  Tippu-Tib  and 
his  staff  as  observed  by  me  on  the  S.S.  Madura. 

Aug.  12. — Grousc-shooting  begins  to-day  ;  I  feel  sure  that 
Ihey  are  having  a  rough  time  of  it.  It  has,  moreover,  been  a 
very  tragic  day  with  our  caravan.  We  halted  in  a  well- 
sheltered  camping-ground ;  and,  shortly  after  arrival,  some  of 
our  worst  characters  strolled  off  among  the  native  huts — 
although  this  was  directly  contrary  to  orders — with  a  view  to 
approi)riating  anything  they  might  think  it  desirable  to  covet. 
They,   however,   found  the    unoffending    native   very   much 


1889.]  FATIIEL   MULLAIFS  PUNISHMENT.  4G9 

disinclined  to  yield  up  Lis  property.  As  Avas  natural  between 
parties  so  diametrically  opposed  in  their  views,  a  dispute 
occurred  between  the  prowlers  and  the  rightful  owners,  and 
one  of  the  Nubian  soldiers  we  brought  from  Egypt,  named 
Fathel  JMullah,  fired  at  a  native,  and  killed  him  on  the  spot. 
The  villagers  followed  these  looters  into  camp,  and  complained 
to  Mr.  Stanley  of  the  unprovoked  attack  and  the  murder.  The 
companies  were  fallen  in,  so  as  to  detect  the  aggressors ;  the 
natives  identified  this  man,  who,  on  investigation,  Avas  found 
guilty  of  wilful  murder,  without  any  extenuating  circumstances 
whatever.  He  was,  accordingly,  at  once  handed  over  to  the 
natives  for  the  infliction  of  punishment.  They  greedily  rushed 
upon  him,  and  seized  him — as  only  savages  can  do — with  eyes 
glaring  with  demoniacal  delight,  and  a  horrible  grin  of  vin- 
dictive satisfaction  displaying  their  white  ivory-like  teeth, 
which  gnashed  with  the  rage  they  were  about  to  quench  in  his 
blood.  It  was  a  horribly  thrilling  sight  to  see  him  dragged  off 
by  his  captors.  He  had  a  most  scoundrelly-looking  face,  and 
they  hauled  him  off,  in  spite  of  his  abject  entreaties,  to  spear 
him  to  death,  as  is  their  custom,  for  it  is  "  blood  for  blood  " 
with  these  people.  He  certainly  was  an  atrocious  ruffian,  and 
thoroughly  deserved  his  horrible  doom  ;  still  it  was  a  dreadful 
scene  as  he  was  brought  off  to  receive  the  treatment  that 
awaited  him  at  the  hands  of  his  executioners. 

Aug.  13. — We  marched  early  to-day,  and  ascended  a  steep 
Tocky  mountain  to  a  plateau  above  ;  through  which  ran  a  river, 
on  its  way  to  the  lake  we  had  left  behind  us.  We  passed  a 
few  banana  plantations,  and  a  native  village ;  the  inhabitants 
of  the  latter  seemed  disposed  to  levy  a  toll  from  us  for  per- 
mission to  pass  through.     We  camped  close  to  the  river. 

Aug.  14. — We  remained  in  camp  all  day,  for  the  rest's  sake 
which  the  lazy  gang  of  the  Pasha's  followers  were  so  anxious 
to  indulge  in ;  we  also  wanted  time  to  make  distribution  of 
local  money  for  the  purchase  of  rations.  To  each  member  of  the 
Expedition  thirty-two  cowries  were  given,  for  the  purchase  of 
four  days'  rations.  The  Zanzibaris,  with  their  characteristic 
prudence  and  forethought,  soon  spoiled  the  native  market 
for  us ;  a  fowl  could  be  purchased  for  five  cowries  in  the 
morning ;  in  the  evening,  the  wily  natives  demanded  100 
"Cowries  for  a  similar  article. 

Aug.  15. — We  made  a  long  march  to-day — through  a  very 


470  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [188'X 

picturesque  country — and  readied  Euanda.  Here  we  liad  an 
hour's  delay,  while  Avaiting  for  the  chiefs  permission — or, 
rather,  for  him  to  make  up  his  mind  to  give  his  permission — • 
to  march  through  his  country  for  two  days.  Mr.  Stanley 
appears  to  me  to  have  too  much  patience  with  these  kings, 
and  queens,  and  princes  ;  halting  an  entire  caravan  of  nearly 
1,000  people  is  no  trifle,  even  to  please  an  African  monarch. 

Aug.  16. — The  old  chief  who  rules  here  is  very  feeble.  I 
gave  him  some  medicine,  and  he  sent  me  two  pots  of  pomM 
(banana  wine),  and  two  bunches  of  bananas.  He  also  sent  a 
goodly  present  of  bananas  to  the  Expedition — more  than  did 
the  stingy  King  of  Karagwe.  We  have  got  our  first  glimpse 
of  the  Victoria  Nyanza  from  here.  From  this  camp  to  Msalala^ 
the  site  of  Mackay's  Missionary  Station  (Church  IMissionary 
Society),  is  but  two  days  by  boat — it  is  eight  days  distant  by 
land ;  this,  however,  means  fifteen  days  for  our  caravan,  with 
its  ornamental  Egyptian  tail.  We  are  all  delighted  at  the- 
prospect  of  once  more  receiving  letters  from  our  distant 
friends  to  cheer  us ;  as  we  are  now  pretty  well  sick  of 
adventure  and  exploration.  We  have  still  a  period  of  four 
and  a  half  months  separating  us  from  the  coast,  and  I  feel 
thoroughly  worn  out. 

Aug.  17. — Suliman  Effendi,  one  of  the  Pasha's  officers,  died 
last  night.  We  are  again  obliged  to  wait  here  for  the  day, 
as  our  guides  will  not  be  forthcoming  till  to-morrow.  This  is. 
certainly  done  on  purpose  by  the  leery  old  chief,  so  that  he 
may  have  a  day's  more  doctoring  and  medicine,  and  also  a 
brisk  market.  I  visited  him  again  to-day,  and  gave  him  some 
"  Livingstone  Eouscrs."  Everything  about  the  old  sinner  is- 
mysterious,  and,  like  most  native  Africans,  he  is  excessively 
superstitious.  Yesterday  his  people  asked  mo  whether  a 
chicken  sliould  bo  killed.  I  replied  in  the  negative.  When 
this  rite  is  performed,  the  sorcerer  is  obliged  to  name  the 
person  (of  course,  one  whom  he  has  a  spite  against)  who  has 
given  the  evil  thing  to  the  king.  The  chicken  is  killed,  the 
liver  and  intestines  taken  out,  and,  when  this  has  been  done,, 
the  native  wizard  can  at  once  tell  who  the  ill-fated  individual 
is  that  has  given  the  king  (or  other  sick  person)  the  disease  in 
question.  They  also  wished  me  to  tell  them — at  once,  and 
decisively — whether  sJiitan  (the  devil)  was  in  his  majesty's 
head.     I  pronounced  an  energetic  opinion  that  he  was  not. 


1880.]  CHARMED   LIVES.  471 

Had  I  replied  in  the  affirmative,  I  would  have  been  expected 
at  once  to  point  out  who  the  person  was  that  had  put  his  sable 
majesty  there,  and  the  individual  indicated  would  have  been 
immediately  sacrificed,  according  to  custom.  It  is  pretty 
obvious  that  the  native  sorcerer  (or  doctor)  has  a  splendid 
vantage-ground  for  the  extermination  of  his  enemies. 

Aua.  18. — We  marched  this  morning  from  6.30  till  11.30  a.m., 
when  we  camped  in  a  plantain  grove  on  the  shores  of  the 
Victoria  JSTyanza.  The  water  of  this  lake  is  much  fresher 
and  nicer,  in  all  its  physical  qualities,  than  is  that  of  either 
the  Albert  Edward  Nyanza  or  the  Albert  Nyanza  itself — or,, 
indeed,  of  any  other  African  lake  I  have  seen.  There  seems  . 
to  be  very  little  growth  of  papyrus  or  rushes  on  the  shore,  and 
numerous  islands  lie  in  a  continuous  line  along — at  a  distance 
of  from  half  to  one  mile  from  the  shore,  somewhat  like  the 
Aleutian  chain  as  it  looks  on  a  map.  We  have  been 
travelling  on  the  elevated  plateau  ever  since  leaving  the 
Urigi  lake ;  so  we  had  to  descend,  over  very  rocky  ground, 
through  a  height  of  6U0  to  800  feet,  to  get  to  the  plain  below 
which  surrounds  the  Victoria  Nyanza.  We  have  had  so  many 
ups  and  downs,  however,  in  our  recent  progress,  that  I  shall 
not  be  surprised  if  we  ascend  again  to-morrow. 

Immediately  on  arriving  at  Msalala,  Mr.  Stanley  is  to  send 
off  a  courier  with  letters ;  we  may  receive  some,  but  some- 
mnst  be  sent  in  any  case,  besides  those  to  private  friends... 
We  reach  Msalala  in  twelve  or  thirteen  days,  probably.  We- 
must  have  some  friends  to  meet  us  at  Zanzibar ;  we  must  there 
don  some  decent  clothes,  and  then  try  and  find  our  way  home, 
perhaps  via  Cairo.  I  am  fairly  puzzled  as  to  what  I  shall  do 
when  I  get  there,  as  I  came  into  Africa  a  beggar,  and  am 
leaving  it  in  still  greater  poverty  ;  but,  thank  heaven,  we  are 
all  alive,  and  we  may  be  able  to  assist  each  other. 

We  Europeans  bear  charmed  lives ;  exactly  two  years  ago 
— by  this  day — I  was  very  nearly  hit  by  a  poisoned  arrow ;, 
which  actually  passed  between  my  arm  and  my  body,  and 
stuck  fast  in  the  wall  of  the  hut,  beside  which  I  was  sitting.. 
Nelson  and  myself  were  having  luncheon  when  we  were 
attacked  by  the  vicious  natives.  We  had  a  small  party  with 
us,  including  Kashid,  the  head  chief,  and  Hassani  who  had  an 
arrow  driven  deep  into  his  back.  Dreadful  wind  and  rain  we 
also  had  on  that  fateful  day  ;  and  the  men  in  such  a  deplorably 


472  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOlllAL   AFBICA.         [1889. 

weak  condition !  One  lay  down  and  died  on  the  road  as  we 
marched ;  two  who  were  carried  into  the  camp  died  in  their 
improvised  hammocks ;  they  had  perished  from  exposure  on 
the  way,  and  their  demise  was  not  discovered  till  the  end  of 
the  march.  One  of  the  men  was  killed  in  his  hut  by  an  arrow 
which  pierced  his  aorta.  We  were  then  returning  from  our 
seven  days'  wanderings  in  the  forest  with  Jephson. 

Shaban  Majera  was  lost  to-day ;  he  had  a  large  ulcer,  and 
evaded  the  rear-guard  by  hiding  in  the  tall  grass. 

Aug.  19. — We  left  camp  this  morning  at  6.10  a.m.,  and 
marched  till  noon,  when  we  again  struck  the  Victoria  Nyanza, 
and  camped  in  the  open,  on  a  burning  hot  plain.  We  are  now 
out  of  Kajumba's  country,  and  in  the  dominion  of  another. 
The  king  of  Usui  has  conquered  all  this  land  down  to  the  lake 
shore,  so  that  we  shall  have  to  encounter  him  to-morrow 
or  next  day.  The  kingdoms  are  becoming  more  numerous  as 
we  proceed,  and  our  route  has  happily  enabled  us  to  avoid 
the  mercenary  demands  which,  we  understand,  this  king 
makes  on  pilgrims  passing  through  his  territory.  We  may 
have  a  brush  with  him,  but  it  will  be  over  with  a  few  shots. 
He  retained  old  Kajumba  a  prisoner  for  four  months  ;  and  has 
a  trading  Arab  imprisoned  at  the  present  moment,  who  had 
ibeen  making  his  way  through  the  country  to  Karagwe. 

This  is  a  scorching  hot  day. 

Aug.  20. — This  morning  we  passed  a  dead  zebra  on  the 
march,  which  had  been  killed  by  a  lion  or  a  leopard.  I  stopped 
for  half  an  hour  with  the  remains  of  the  animal,  and,  among 
other  attentions  bestowed,  I  cut  off  its  mane,  which  I  intend 
to  bring  home.  We  entered  a  new  country  to-day,  called 
Usambiro ;  and  fully  expected  to  meet  with  some  opposition  to 
our  progress,  as  it  has  been  conquered  by  Ivassasur.i,  king  of 
Usui.  From  the  reputation  of  this  royal  personage,  we.  had 
been  led  to  anticipate  that  he  would  levy  a  poll-tax  on  us 
for  the  privilege  of  passing  through  his  territory,  a  piece  of 
l)oliteness  which  would  have  certainly  been  resented,  AVe 
received,  however,  no  trouble  whatever  from  the  natives ; 
although  we  marched  for  live  hours — about  ten  miles.  Wo 
iire  now  but  five  days  from  IMsalala. 

Aug.  21. — We  marched  about  eight  miles  to-day.  The 
natives  a])pear  to  be  greatly  frightened  at  our  ajipearance ; 
they  leave  their  huts  and  run  away  as  we  approach.     Yery 


3889.]  HONEY.  47o 

few  of  tliem  have  had  the  pluck  to  come  into  camp.  There  is  a 
great  deal  of  honey  in  this  country ;  indeed,  since  we  left 
Ankori,  there  has  been  honey  for  sale  everywhere.  The 
natives  suspend  portions  of  trunks  of  trees,  hollowed  out  some- 
what in  canoe  pattern,  here  and  there  among  the  trees ;  the 
bees  build  in  these  traps,  and  the  honey  is  secured  in  this 
way.  It  is  very  rich  and  sweet ;  the  flavour  is  a  little  rank, 
but  it  sweetens  tea  and  coffee.  We  give  it  in  exchange  for 
calico,  beads,  &c. ;  but  here  the  natives  Avill  not  take  cowries 
at  all !     There  is  no  accounting  for  differences  of  taste. 

Aug.  22. — We  marched  eight  miles  to-day,  and  reached 
a  village  surrounded  by  a  boma,  and  occupied  by  Wanyam- 
wezi.  We  are  now  in  Usukuma,  where  many  of  the  inhabitants 
speak  Swahili.  I  have  seen  a  good  many  of  the  Wanyamwezi 
whose  hands  had  been  cut  off  at  the  wrists  ;  this  had  been  done 
by  order  of  Mirambo,  the  great  king  of  Unyanyembe,  who 
always  amputated  the  hands  of  his  prisoners  of  war,  so  as 
<'ffectually  to  prevent  them  from  fighting  against  him  another 
time.  The  operation  is  performed  by  laying  the  hand  on  a 
board,  and  chopping  it  off. 

Aug.  23. — We  marched  fourteen  miles  to-day,  and  reached 
anothei  Wanyamwezi  village,  where  we  obtained  plenty  of  food 
to  buy — rice,  &c.,  &c. 

Aug.  24. — We  took  our  ease  in  camp  to-day ;  many  were 
footsore  after  the  continuous  marching  of  the  last  six  days — 
averaging  about  nine  miles  a  day.  We  hear  that  two  white 
men  are  at  Msalala,  but  that  Mackay  has  gone  home.  All 
these  local  rumours  must  be,  of  course,  taken  cum  grano,  as 
the  natives  in  most  places  are  only  acquainted  with  the  news 
5ind  scandal  of  a  radius  of  two  days  or  so.  This  is  chiefly  due 
to  the  fact  that  each  tribe  fights  with^its  neighbour.  However, 
Me  members  of  the  E.P.E,  Expedition  should  not  complain 
too  much  of  this  unhappy  state  of  things ;  had  it  not  been  for 
this  perpetual  inter-tribal  animosity  i  we  should  never  have 
been  able  to  cross  Africa  with  our  lives.  We  could  never 
have  penetrated  the  domains  of  large  united  tribes  like  those 
of  Uganda,  Unyoro,  or  Kuanda. 

Aug.  25. — We  marched  about  seven  miles  to-day,  and 
<:'amped  in  a  low  scrub  or  bush.  A  few  natives  visited  us 
iind  sold  us  tobacco. 

Aug.   26. — We   camped   to-day   in   the   bush.      The   most 


474  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

important  feature  of  our  surroundings  was  the  very  bad  water 
which  we  were  obliged  to  use.  I  have  not  seen  a  running* 
stream  since  we  left  the  Alexandra  Nile,  We  halted  after  six 
hours'  good  marching.  Mr.  Stanley  bought  a  large  pot  of 
honey,  which  he  distributed.  Bonny  is  down  with  a  sharp 
fever  to-day ;  ho  complains  that  he  eats  nothing ;  this  is,, 
however,  an  advantage  in  this  country,  where  travellers  so 
often  have  nothing  to  eat. 

Aug.  27. — We  marched  for  six  and  a  half  hours  to-day,  and 
reached  a  very  fine  set  of  buildings,  surrounded  by  a  boma. 
They  had  been  erected  by  the  French  mission  with  much  care 
and  taste,  but  for  some  reason  had  been  evacuated  and  aban- 
doned afterwards.  There  is  first  an  outer  boma,  within  which 
are  some  grass  huts;  then  an  inner  boma,  enclosing  six 
separate  buildings,  four  of  which  are  built  of  mud.  These  are 
each  thirty  yards  long,  and  furnished  with  large  verandahs. 
The  others  are  constructed  of  wood;  and  all  have  grass- 
thatched  roofs,  the  grass  being,  in  its  turn,  covered  with  mud.. 
All  the  houses  are  furnished  with  well-made  wooden  doors  and 
windows.  The  chapel  is  extremely  well-built ;  it  contains 
various  sacred  ornaments,  and  has  a  cross  above  the  roof. 
The  other  buildings  are  each  divided  into  rooms — kitchen,, 
workshop,  and  bedrooms.  The  whole  is  extremely  neat  and 
well-constructed,  and  reflects  the  highest  credit  on  the  priests 
to  whom  the  place  owed  its  origin ;  indeed,  my  private  opinion 
is  that  the  example  of  superiority  and  skill  shown  by  such 
work  is  much  more  likely  to  leave  a  lastingly  useful  impression 
on  the  African  native  than  an  endless  amount  of  theological 
and  moral  oratory. 

Aug.  28. — We  marched  to-day  to  the  southern  end  of  the 
Victoria  Nyanza — to  Usambiro,  where  the  Church  Missionary 
Society  have  a  station.  Here  we  were  met  by  ]\Ir.  M^ickay^ 
the  famous  missionary,  who  had  been  kept  prisoner  in  Uganda, 
and  Mr.  Dcakcs,  another  missionary.  They  gave  us  a  hearty 
reception,  and  showed  us  some  old  newspapers,  in  which  we 
read  a  good  deal  of  interesting  matter  quite  new  io  us  poor 
benighted  travellers.  AVc  read  of  the  "  Nitrate  King,"  and 
fancied  that  some  new  state  had  been  formed ;  of  the  "  Sweat- 
ing System,"  which  we  tliought  had  something  to  do  with  the 
Turkish  bath ;  of  the  "  Conversion  of  the  Egyptian  Debt," 
which,  according  to  IMr.  Stanley's  explanation,  was   merely 


1889.]  JIACKAY'S  MISSION  STATION.  475 

changing  it  from  Moliammeclanism  to  Christianism ;  and  so 
on.  The  3Iission  Station  we  fonnci  well-built ;  the  houses  had 
mud  walls,  and  were  furnished  with  large  verandahs.  A  huge 
workshop,  where  Mackay  was  building  a  steam-launch,  with 
boilers,  &c.,  all  complete,  elicited  expressions  of  great  admira- 
tion. The  Station  is  surrounded  by  a  boma,  formed  by  strong 
poles,  which  are  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground.  The  site  is  on  a 
very  dry,  barren  soil,  and  the  nearest  water  is  that  of  the 
Victoria  Nyanza,  quite  two  miles  off.  At  the  southernmost 
end  is  the  Speke  Gulf. 

We  arrived  here  about  11  a.m.  this  morning,  and  ate  up 
everything  we  could  lay  hands  on,  in  the  shape  of  food. 
Mackay  and  Deakes  were  most  cordial  and  generous,  and 
threw  open  all  their  stores  to  us.  We  got  delicious  tea, 
coffee,  and  biscuits.  Every  evening  Mackay  and  Deakes  have 
about  twenty  children  into  their  room,  who  pray  and  sing- 
hymns.  The  pity  is,  that  there  are  only  fiuo  individuals  be- 
longing to  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  to  do  the  work  of 
twelve.  The  French  Koman  Catholic  missionaries,  who  are 
higher  up  on  the  Lake,  are  six  or  seven  in  number,  and  grow 
fine  cabbages  and  other  vegetables.  They  had  a  supply  of 
clothes  and  boots,  which  we  bought  from  them  for  some  dollars, 
to  be  paid  at  Zanzibar.  All  the  missionaries  were  on  good 
terms,  and  were  most  kind  to  us.  Mackay  is  a  very  superior 
fellow,  and  a  wonderful  mechanic.  He  has  made  large  carts 
with  wheels  to  portage  heavy  timber,  builds  boats  and  houses, 
&c. ;  and  in  this  way  gains  the  admiration  of  the  natives,  who 
respect  him,  as  he  shows  his  superiority  in  some  practical  way 
which  they  can  understand. 

Aug.  29.^ We  rested  to-day,  and  enjoyed  the  first  European 
news  we  had  heard  for  nearly  two  and  a  half  years.  Our  first 
question  was,  whether  her  Majesty  the  Queen  was  still  alive ; 
then  H.K.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales  ;  then  the  Princess  of  Wales. 
We  heard  of  two  dead  Emperors  of  Germany ;  no  campaigns  ; 
that  the  Panama  Canal  was  still  unfinished,  &c.,  &c. 

We  distributed  rations  of  beads  to  all  the  men ;  read  news- 
papers all  day  ;  none  of  us  received  letters,  with  the  exception 
of  Mr.  Stanley  and  Stairs,  who  got  two  each.  We  heard  of 
some  fighting  between  the  Germans  and  the  Arabs  at  the 
coast,  and  accordingly,  we  are  disposed  to  think  that  all  our 
letters  have  been  captured  by  the  Arabs  ;  or  if,  perhaps,  they 


470  FXrjLllIJ^XCES   IX  EQUATORIAL   AFlllCA.  [1SS9. 

had  escaped  the  ^Vrabs,  and  passed  through  to  Uganda,  they 
woiikl  certainly  have  been  seized  there,  on  account  of  the 
rebellion.  Our  latest  newspaper  is  February,  1888,  so  that 
we  only  got  the  news  of  the  "Failure  of  the  Emin  Pasha 
llelief  Expedition  " — printed  while  we  were  working  hard  and 
doing  well.  We  are  short  of  necessary  raiment ;  but  we  find 
that  Bishop  Parker  and  two  other  missionaries  have  yielded 
up  the  ghost,  leaving  their  clothes,  which  we  are  only  too 
glad  to  purchase. 

When  we  started  with  the  Expedition,  we  were  constantly 
chaffing  the  Zanzibaris  by  telling  them  that  the  Germans 
would  have  Zanzibar  when  we  returned ;  they  always  replied 
that  the  "Bebe"  of  England  {i.e.  the  Queen)  would  soon 
make  it  all  right  for  them,  and  not  see  them  badly  treated, 
showing  the  extreme  confidence  which  they  had  in  the  B..- 
luzi  (British  Cousul-General),  formerly  Sir  John  Kirk,  now 
Colonel  Euan  Smith,  C.B.*  It  is  really  curious  that  our 
frivolous  jokes  should  have  been  verified  so  truly. 

Aug.  30,  31. — Sun  extremely  hot.  We  received  a  small 
quantity  of  European  provisions,  which  had  been  ordered  by 
Mr.  Stanley. 

Ever  since  we  left  the  precincts  of  the  Ruwenzori  range 
our  caravan  has  been  terribly  stricken  by  the  pestilent  plague 
of  the  local  malarial  fevers.  While  we  were  within  a  moderate 
radius  of  the  lunar  mountains  we  had  a  fairly  copious  and  pure 
water-supply  ;  but  since  we  got  well  without  their  area  we 
Lave  had  to  utilise  the  water  of  stagnant  pools,  which  are 
habitually  haunted  by  herds  of  cattle  and  other  animals,  who 
resort  to  them  for  the  purposes  of  washing  and  cooling  them- 
selves, as  well  as  of  quenching  their  thirst;  also  that  of 
papyrus  swamps  and  their  overflow  rivulets,  the  liquid  of 
which  was  often  of  a  porridgy  consistence,  from  the  amount 
of  suspended  mud,  composed  of  every  conceivable  variety  of 
inorganic  and  organic  matter,  and  sometimes  so  richly  ferru- 
ginous, that  partaking  of  our  tea-beverage  prepared  from  them 
simply  meant  drinking  ink ;  while  other  specimens  were  so 
laden  with  sulphurous  compounds  or  decomposing  vegetable 
matter,  that  the  smell  was  often  enough  to  sicken  the  stomacii 
before  it  reached  the  mouth  at  all.  Under  such  circumstances, 
lit  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  malaria  prevailed  against 

*  Xow  Sir  Charles  Kuan  Smit!-,  K.C.P). 


1889.]  MALARIAL   FEVERS.  477 

us  as  a  raging  epidemic.  In  addition  to  this  inexhaustible- 
supply  of  the  marsh-miasm,  Ave  had,  in  the  extremely  hilly 
country  of  Ankori,  the  additional  factor  of  perpetually-recur- 
ring draughts  and  chills  as  we  passed  up  hill  and  down  ravine. 
We  always  reached  the  summit  in  a  bath  of  perspiration,  from 
which  we  were  invariably  dried  by  a  chilling  breeze  as  we- 
descended  to  the  base  of  the  same  elevation.  As  we  mean- 
dered along  the  tortuous  downward  path,  we  experienced  the 
benefit  of  the  gusty  blasts  on  every  possible  aspect  of  our 
bodies,  so  that  we  reached  the  bottom  of  every  valley  in  a 
universal  shiver.  When  the  valley  was  furnished  with  a 
papyrus  swamp,  to  whose  margin  we  had  to  accommodate  our 
path  for  some  distance,  and  from  which  we  had  to  ascend 
another  steep,  from  whose  summit  we  passed  down  to  another 
ravine  and  another  swamp — and  so  on,  hour  after  hour,  for  the 
day's  march — there  is  no  questioning  the  fact  that  we  were 
furnished  with  all  the  data  for  the  development  of  intermittent 
fever.  These  conditions  were  further  emphasised  by  the  great 
range  of  the  diurnal  temperature  in  those  districts  :  the  ther- 
mometer falling  in  the  evenings  as  much  as  20^  C.  in  a  few 
hours,  so  that  a  very  chilly  night,  to  whose  influences  our  men 
were  often  almost  completely  exposed,  would  be  followed  by  a 
biting,  breezy  morning,  with  hoar-frost  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  during  which  we  were  obliged  to  prepare  for  the 
day's  march.  The  reasonable  result  is  that  every  single 
member  of  our  whole  caravan,  which  includes  about  1000 
souls,  has  suffered  from  fever  during  our  progress  through 
the  hilly  district  of  Ankori ;  even  the  natives  themselves  did 
not  escape.  My  experience  of  it  has  indeed  been  copious- 
enough  to  serve  me  for  a  lifetime.  Another  factor,  which  I 
am  sure  greatly  increased  the  susceptibility  of  our  people  to- 
malarial  influences,  was  the  exposure  to  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun,  without  sufficient  protection  for  the  head  and  spine. 
This  was  when  we  reached  camp,  as  the  boxes  protected  the 
head  on  the  march.  Our  immunity  from  sunstroke  hai^ 
certainly  been  very  remarkable ;  but  there  is  no  doubt  that 
the  systems  of  the  men  are  affected  by  the  exposure,  although 
we  have  met  with  so  few  of  the  phenomena  of  heat-apoplexy. 

In  some  of  the  cases  of  fever,  the  symptoms  have  develo^Dcd 
quite  suddenly,  without  any  premonitory  stage ;  this  is,  how- 
ever, exceptional.     In  the  great  majority,  the  attack  is  pre- 


478  EXPERIENCES   IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

ceded  by  general  malaise,  accompanied  by  constipation,  with 
flatulence  and  eructations,  dull  aching  pains  over  every  muscle 
and  bone  (worst  over  the  loins  and  about  the  knees),  with 
severe  cramps  in  the  legs.  The  back-ache  sometimes  comes 
on  as  suddenly  as  if  the  patient  had  been  struck  heavily  across 
the  loins  with  a  stick.  At  the  same  time,  there  is  a  decided 
tendency  to  increased  activity  of  both  mind  and  body,  with 
rapid  respiration,  and  quick,  thumping  action  of  the  heart. 
The  complexion,  at  the  very  beginning,  looks  sallow,  but  soon 
becomes  florid  and  congested,  and  the  eyes  develop  a  peculiar, 
wild,  staring,  brilliant  look,  which  is  very  characteristic.  Pain 
in  the  temples  is  also  an  early  and  a  prominent  symptom,  and 
it  persists  throughout :  sometimes  even  till  a  day  or  two  after 
the  temperature  has  gone  down  to  the  normal  standard. 
Yomiting  also  appears  early,  and  is  very  persistent;  when  a 
large  quantity  of  biliary  matter  is  brought  up  in  the  early 
(cold)  stage,  it  often  gives  great  relief.  The  crisis  is  some- 
times accompanied  by  very  profuse  sweating,  which  gives 
extreme  relief.  There  may  be  no  initial  shivering.  The 
temperature  sometimes  falls  without  any  sweating ;  but  in 
this  case  the  fever  almost  invariably  returns.  Sometimes 
the  paroxysms  recur  with  such  frequency,  that  they  run  into 
each  other — intermittent  then  becomes  remittent.  This  is, 
of  course,  indicative  of  the  inception  of  a  very  large  dose  of 
the  poison.  The  excited  manner,  extreme  talkativeness,  staring 
look,  flushed  face,  and  restless  activity  of  the  initial  stage 
sometimes  look  actually  like  the  early  stage  of  alcoholic  in- 
toxication. In  severe  cases,  when  the  fever  approaches  the 
continued  type,  the  patient's  frame  will  be  found,  after  a 
couple  of  days,  to  have  shrivelled,  apparently,  to  about  one- 
half  its  original  bulk.  Great  prostration  is  felt,  and  this 
remains  till  the  convalescence  has  been  well  established.  .  The 
legs  feel  extremely  weak  and  shaky,  a  symptom  which  also 
persists  for  a  good  while  after  a  bad  attack.  As  often  as  not, 
in  the  vast  number  of  cases  which  occurred  in  Ankori,  there 
Avas  no  third  stage.  The  first,  or  cold  stage,  is  always  the 
shortest ;  the  third  usiuilly  the  longest,  when  there  is  a  second 
present.  The  blood-pressure  in  the  renal  vessels  is,  of  course, 
greatly  increased,  as  the  superficial  vessels  are  all  contracted. 
An  increased  secretion,  of  rather  low  specific  gravity,  is 
the  consequence.     From  beginning  to  end  of  the  fever  the 


1889.]  MALARIAL   FEVERS.  479 

tongue  is  nearly  always  coated  with  a  whitish  fur;  which, 
as  the  pyrexia  subsides,  gradually  clears  off,  from  the  tip  and 
edges  towards  the  base  and  septum.  In  severe  cases,  when 
the  fever  approaches  the  continued  type,  or  when  there  are 
sharp  paroxysms  A\ith  short  intermissions,  the  patient,  after 
two  or  three  days,  usually  complains  a  good  deal  of  distressing 
tightness  about  the  chest,  or  a  feeling  of  suffocation ;  this  is 
chiefly  due  to  the  enormous  enlargement  of  the  spleen.  There 
is  often  a  good  deal  of  pain  complained  of  along  the  course 
of  the  larger  nerves  (great  sciatic,  anterior  crural,  median, 
<fec.).  Towards  the  end  of  an  attack  the  renal  secretion 
becomes  darker,  and  mixed  with  bile. 

The  muscular  pains  and  subsequent  soreness,  and  the  refer- 
ence to  the  joints  (knee,  &c.),  are  often  strongly  suggestive  of 
some  close  similarity  between  the  circulatory  lesions  of  our 
fever  cases  and  those  of  rheumatism.  Both  can  be  intelligibly 
explained,  I  think,  by  the  presence  in  the  lymph-spaces  of  an 
enormous  excess  of  tissue  debris,  especially  muscular.  We 
know  that  the  chemical  changes  in  muscular  tissue  furnish  by 
far  the  greatest  part  of  the  heat  of  the  human  economy ;  and, 
as  a  sudden  attack  of  pyrexia  accordingly  indicates  an  explosive 
molecular  change  throughout  the  muscular  system,  we  neces- 
sarily have,  under  such  circumstances,  a  greater  quantitj^  of 
muscular  waste  washed  into  the  lymph-spaces  than  can  be 
taken  up  by  the  minute  lymphatic  vessels.  The  complex 
chemical  compounds  so  formed — the  predecessors  and  con- 
geners of  the  uric  acid  of  gout,  the  lactic  acid  of  rheumatism, 
ifcc,  &c. — simply  poison  the  fluids  of  the  tissues  till  the  system 
has  had  time  to  get  rid  of  the  excess  by  gradual  excretion. 

The  patient  suffers  from  an  atonic  state  of  the  walls  of  the 
iilimentary  canal,  which  is  indicated  by  the  fact  that  for  some 
time  before  and  after,  as  well  as  during,  the  fever  any  aperient 
medicine  given  must  be  administered  in  a  larger  dose  than  is 
required  during  health,  in  order  to  produce  any  effect 
whatever. 

[When  returning  homeward  from  Zanzibar  (per  the  British 
I.  S.S.  Katoria),  I  met  Miss  Berkeley  (11th  January,  1890)  of 
the  Zanzibar  branch  of  the  University  Mission,  who  was 
returning  by  the  same  steamer.  This  lady  informed  me  that 
during  her  African  experience  of  the  past  five  years,  of  the 
thirty  male  members  of  the  Mission  whom  she  had  known  as 


480  EXPERIEXCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889, 

residents  in  the  "Dark  Continent,"  six  luid  died,  and  five 
others  had  been  invalided  home ;  while  of  the  lady  mission- 
aries not  one  had  died,  and  nobody  had  been  invalided  during- 
the  same  period.  This  narrative  corroborates  very  strongly,  I 
tliink,  the  opinion  I  had  already  expressed  in  my  diary,  of  the 
fatal  importance  of  direct  exposure  to  sun  and  chill  in  the 
production  of  AfVican  fever.  The  cause  of  this  enormous 
difference  in  the  mortality  of  the  male  and  female  members 
of  the  Mission  is,  I  believe,  due  to  the  fact  that  the  duties 
of  the  latter  kept  them  under  the  protecting  shade  of  their 
houses  while  the  men  were  obliged  to  go  about  and  expose 
themselves — at  all  hours,  and  under  all  circumstances.] 

I  may  mention  that  we  suffered  from  fever  at  all  altitudes, 
up  to  10,000  feet  above  sea-level.  The  prophylactic  treatment 
which  we  adopted  betimes  was  certainly  more  effective  than, 
any  curative  treatment  that  I  know  of  would  have  been. 
About  ten  days  or  so  before  entering  the  mouth  of  the  Congo, 
each  officer  of  the  Expedition  was  given  four  grains  of  quinine 
twice  a  day  ;  and,  from  the  time  we  entered  the  mouth  of  the 
Congo,  on  the  18th  of  Marcli  1887,  till  we  reached  Stanley  Pool, 
on  the  22nd  of  April,  a  distance  of  350  miles,  there  were  but  one 
or  two  cases  of  fever  amongst  our  officers ;  although  the  quinine 
was  taken  but  very  occasionally  during  this  interval.  The 
Belgian  officers,  stationed  at  Stanley  Pool,  told  us  that  our 
exemption  from  fever  was  most  extraordinary  and  unusual. 
The  white  officers  of  their  caravans,  when  on  the  same  march, 
had  suffered  incessantly  from  fever,  and  many  of  the  number 
had  died.  In  strong  contrast,  indeed,  to  this  was  the  history 
of  our  caravan  ;  which,  although  it  included  the  largest  number 
of  white  officers  who  had  ever  travelled  together  over  the 
same  ground,  had  had  but  one  or  two  oases  of  fever — neither 
of  which  was  excessively  severe — and  recorded  no  death.  The 
result  impressed  us  all  so  strongly  with  the  value  of  the 
])rophylactic  treatment,  that,  so  far  as  our  stock  of  quinine 
jiermitted,  we  pursued  it  all  through  our  entire  expedition. 

The  administration  of  quinine  after  the  attack  of  fever  has 
commenced  is  entirely  useless,  it  is  nearly  always  rejected,, 
and,  if  retained,  it  does  no  good.  When  the  temperature  is 
lowest,  a  large  dose  should  always  be  given;  this  is  usually 
in  the  early  morning.  ("  Quinine  and  Orange  Wine,"  is  an 
c::tromely  nice  pre})aration  to  take.)    An  opiate  or  hypodermic 


188*J.] 


MALAIUAL    FEVERS. 


481 


injection  of  morpliinG  administered  in  the  early  stage  gives 
great  relief  from  the  terril)le  raehialgia,  which  is  one  of  the 
severest  symptoms.  As  the  paroxysm  advances,  a  hypodermic 
injection  of  pilocarpine  is  very  useful,  as  it  produces  ptrofuse 
sweating,  and  really  has  a  magical  effect  on  the  symptoms.  In 
the  course  of  an  "  intermittent,"  in  Avhich  we  know  when  to 
c'xpect  the  advent  of  a  paroxysm,  a  large  dose  of  quinine 
(forty  grains),  given  four  hours  before  the  attack  is  due,  is 
sometimes  of  use.  Arsenic,  or  AVarburg's  tincture,  succeeds 
in  some  cases  where  quinine  fails.  I  have  tried  "  jvara-hari  " 
iind  other  drugs,  but  did  not  find  them  superior  to  quinine. 

The  haemorrhagic  form  of  malarial  fever  is  pretty  often 
seen  among  w  hite  travellers  (or  settlers)  on  the  Congo ;  but  w^e 
had  no  cases  among  the  members  of  the  Expedition  excepting 
Stairs'  and  my  own.  It  is  a  truly  deadly  disease.  It  is  accom- 
panied by  extreme  nervous  exhaustion,  with  very  deep  jaun- 
dice, and  copious  renal  hcematuria.  The  secretion  is  of  the 
•colour  of  XX  stout,  and  is  found,  on  examination,  to  be  loaded 
with  blood-corpuscles,  and  blood-casts  from  the  uriniferous 
tubules.     Very  few  cases  have  been  seen  on  the  east  coast. 

Our  stock  of  medicines  was  now  at  a  very  low  ebb  as  we 
settled  down  to  our  comfortable  rest  at  Usambiro.  Our  warm- 
Jiearted  and  truly  generous  host,  Mr.  Mackay,  now  kindly 
furnished  me  with  a  few  items ;  vaseline,  one  pound,  sulphate 
of  quinine,  one  ounce ;  permanganate  of  potassium,  one  ounce ; 
carbolic  acid,  one  ounce ;  calomel,  half  an  ounce ;  and  War- 
burg's tincture,  six  ounces.  With  these  important  additions  to 
my  armamentarium,  I  felt  fortified  for  the  march  to  Zanzibar. 

As  I  possessed  little  or  no  raiment,  I  obtained,  on  payment, 
the  following — very  necessary — articles  from  Mr.  Mackay  : — 


Shoes 

Socks     . 

Handkerchiefs 

Sponge  . 

Trousers 

Umbrella  cover 

Pyjamas  suit   . 

Stud  collar 

Needles. 

Rum 

Soap 

Soap 

Butter   . 

Candles  . 

Drink  in  g-c  up  . 


1  pair. 
1  pair. 
o 

1 

1  pair. 

1 

1 

1 

6 

1  bottle. 

1  bar. 

1  cake. 

2  tins. 
20 

1 

2  I 


482  EXPEDIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFBICA.         [1889. 

This  is  the  first  time  we  have  used  candles  since  June,  1887, 
excepting  those  we  made  at  Mazamboni's  ;  it  is  the  first  soap  we 
have  had  since  Christmas  1887,  excepting  what  we  manufactured 
ourselves.  We  have  forgotten  the  use  of  the  pocket  handker- 
chief, and  a  pyjamas  suit  feels  like  a  fancy  costume. 

Mr.  Stanley  had  about  thirty  donkeys  waiting  here  for  him  ; 
which  he  divided  amongst  those  of  the  Pasha's  people  who 
were  invalids. 

The  English  Church  Missionaries  in  Equatorial  Africa  are 
very  much  handicapped,  as  there  is  on  an  average  only  one  to 
every  three  or  four  French  Missionaries  to  carry  on  their  laudable 
work ;  also,  the  French  work  on  a  better  system,  as  they  teach 
the  natives  how  to  improve  their  worldly  possessions  and 
comforts — by  planting  European  seeds,  building  houses,  sawing 
timber,  &c.,  &c., — in  addition  to  seeing  after  their  spiritual 
requirements. 

I  mention  with,  I  hope,  pardonable  pride,  that  I  Avas  never 
once  carried  by  man  or  beast  (except  in  passing  rivers)  while 
crossing  Africa — about  5,000  miles — until  October  1889,  when 
within  a  month  or  so  of  the  east  coast :  I  Avas  then  obliged  to 
ride  a  donkey,  as  my  boots  were  worn  out. 

An  attack  of  ophthalmia,  which  clung  to  me  till  I  reached 
the  coast,  prevented  me  from  keeping  a  regular  diary  during 
the  remaining  period  of  our  transit.  No  very  remarkable 
incident,  however,  occurred  in  this  interval — either  medically 
or  socially,  except  what  has  been  told  in  the  pages  of  "  Darkest 
Africa."  We  continued  to  have  a  good  many  cases  of  malarial 
fever ;  but  with  improved  nutrition  and  hygiene  the  remaining- 
ulcers,  which  had  for  so  long  a  time  formed  the  great  plague 
of  the  Expedition,  gradually  healed  up  and  cicatrised. 

With  the  declining  altitude,  and  the  unavoidable  use  of 
drinking-water  from  stagnant  pools,  fevers  became  very  pre- 
valent from  the  time  we  left  the  Euwcnzori  range,  and,  as 
already  mentioned,  were  maintained  in  great  numbers  by  the 
alternate  perspirations  and  chills  of  our  marclies  tlirough  the 
hilly  country  of  Ankori.  Still,  taking  into  consideration  the 
privations  to  which  we  were  subjected  during  the  course  of  the 
Expedition,  covering  a  space  of  three  years,  I  think  that  its  net 
results  point  very  hopefully  to  the  chances  of  survival  of  the 
white  man  in  Africa.     Of  the  thirteen  Europeans  engaged  by 


1889.]  EUROPEANS  IN  AFRICA.  483 

Mr.  Stanley  for  the  Emin  Pasha  Belief  Expedition,  seven 
raarclied  across  Africa,  and  arrived  safe  (and  fairly  sound)  at 
Zanzibar,  each  having  suffered  from  at  least  150  attacks  of 
African  fever  during  the  march.  One  died  from  fever ;  one  was 
shot ;  one  remained  for  ten  months  at  Yambuya,  and  was  in- 
valided home  ;  one  remained  at  Yambuya  for  seven  months, 
and  was  sent  away  with  despatches  (in  good  health) ;  two  re- 
mained on  the  Congo.  Now,  had  we  been  subjected  to  corre- 
sponding hardships  during  a  march  of  the  same  distance  in 
any  extra-tropical  region  I  know  of,  I  very  much  doubt  whether 
the  total  result  would  have  been  at  all  more  favourable.  Eleven 
of  our  thirteen  Europeans  are  still  alive,  and,  I  believe,  in 
good  health;  one  died  a  violent  death;  one,  only,  sank  a 
victim  to  climatic  disease,  and  he  had  been,  I  have  little 
doubt,  specially  depressed  and  ill-cared  for.  Although  we  have 
been  so  fortunate  in  losing  only  one  European  out  of  thirteen 
tlirough  disease,  over  a  period  of  three  years,  I  am,  of  course, 
unable  to  say  whether  succeeding  generations  are  likely  to 
continue  healthy  in  tropical  Africa.  In  Egypt,  successive 
generations  of  Europeans  do  well ;  and  as  Equatorial  Africa, 
especially  in  the  interior,  is  infinitely  preferable  in  climate  to- 
Egypt,  I  see  no  reason  why  they  should  not  flourish  here  also 

The  peculiar-looking  baobab  tree  is  very  plentiful  between 
Lake  Victoria  and  Bagamayo. 

I  have  here  tabulated  a  list  of  the  principal  varieties  of 
African  produce,  on  which  ourselves  and  our  men  were 
obliged  to  exist  during  the  greater  part  of  the  time  occupied 
in  trying  to  reach  the  shores  of  the  Albert  Nyanza. 

Plantains  and  Bananas. — The  fruit  of  the  "  7misa  imra- 
disiacx "  and  "  musa  sajpientum "  respectively  :  extremely 
nutritious,  and  are  the  staple  food  for  many  tribes  in  India, 
Africa,  America,  and  islands  of  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific 
Oceans;  they  formed  the  principal  food  of  the  members  of 
the  Expedition — black  and  white — for  above  two  years ;  they 
yield  but  one  crop  per  annum. 

The  Banana  fruit  is  shorter,  more  circular,  and  a  darker 
green  than  the  plantain  (in  Kiswahili  it  is  called  "  kipakusso  "), 
otherwise  there  is  very  little  difference,  one  from  the  other. 
Cultivated  from  remote  time  in  tropical  and  subtropical 
climates,  and  require  very  little  attention.  When  ripe,  are 
s\veet,  viscid,  and  with  a  soapy  raawkishness ;  for  the  starch 

2  I  2 


484:  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

\vliic]i  tliey  contain  becomes  converted  into  mncilage  and 
sugar. 

Plantain  meal,  obtained  by  powdering  the  dried  fruit,  is  very 
sustaining  food;  as  it  contains  starch,  and  protein,  or  flesh- 
forming  material.  The  chemical  and  nutritive  composition 
of  plantain  is  allied  to  that  of  potato,  and  that  of  banana  to 
rice.  The  expressed  juice,  when  fermented,  makes  a  refreshing 
acid  liquor.  The  name  imradisiaca  was  given  to  distinguish 
banana  from  the  plantain,  which  was  supposed  to  be  the  for- 
bidden fruit  of  Scripture,  or  the  fruit  translated  "  grapes,"  which 
the  spies  brought  to  Moses  from  the  promised  land;  each  bunch 
of  either  fruit  weighs  about  forty  to  sixty  pounds.  The  leaf  is 
large,  oblong,  about  five  or  six  feet  in  length,  with  a  prominent 
midrib  used  for  thatch  and  domestic  purposes — such  as  cooking, 
paper-making,  &c. ;  the  expressed  juice  of  the  stem  is  used  as  a 
prophylactic  for  itching,  and  the  midrib  makes  a  stem  to 
smoke  tobacco  through ;  the  foliage  of  banana  is  found  repre- 
sented on  ancient  Egyptian  sepulchres. 

Manioc,  the  tuber  and  leaves  of  manihot  utilissima  (cassava, 
molioga) ;  various  other  roots,  excrescences,  and  parasites. 

[I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Holmes,  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society 
of  Great  Britain,  for  the  following  : — 

"Cassava,  a  mandioca  meal,  is  yielded  by  two  so-called  species,  wLicli, 
however,  bear  sucli  great  resemblance  to  each  other  that  most  botanists  com- 
bine them.  These  are  M'jmihot  titilt'ssima,  PohL,  the  bitter  cassavn,  a 
shrubby  plant  growing  from  six  to  eight  i'eet  high  or  more,  with  erect  some- 
what twisted  knotty  stems  rising  from  long,  thick,  fleshy  cylindrical  roots  of  a 
yellowish  colour,  containing  a  poisonous  milky  juice,  and  bearing  deeply 
aeven-i)arted  leaves  on  very  slender  stalks;  crowded  together  at  the  tops  of 
the  branches;  M.  aipi,  PoJil,  the  sweet  cassava  which  "differs  principally  in 
having  sweet  wholesome  roots  of  a  reddish  colour  and  usually  only  five-parted 
leaves ;  but  these  differences  are  no't  of  specitic  value,  and  the  plants  must 
be  regarded  as  varieties  of  one  species. 

"  It  is  quite  clear,  however,  thai  while  the  root  of  one  is  bitter  and  a  most 
virulent  jjoison,  that  of  the  other  is  sweet  and  wholesome,  and  is  commonly 
eaten  cooked  as  a  vegelal^le.  Both  of  them,  especially  the  bitter,  are  most 
extensively  cultivated  over  the  greater  part  of  ti-opical  America,  and  yield  an 
abundance  of  wholesome  and  mitritious  tbod,  the  poison  of  the  bitter  kind 
being  got  rid  of  during  the  process  of  preparation  it  undergoes.  This  con- 
sists in  first  reducing  the  large  fleshy  roots  to  a  pulp  by  grating  them,  the 
poisonoU'3  juice  being  then  expelled  by  iiressure,  and" the  residual  mass 
])0unded  into  a  coarse  meal  resembling  bread  crumbs,  which  is  made  into 
thin  cakes  or  cooked  in  various  ways,  the  heat  dissijjating  any  remaining 
])oison.  The  poisonous  expressed  juice,  if  allowed  to  settle,  deposits  a  lame 
quantity  of  starch  known  as  Brazilian  arrowroot  or  tapioca  meal,  from  which 
the  tapioca  of  the  shops  is  i^reparcd  by  simply  torrefying  the  moist  starch 
upon  hot  plates,  the  heat  causing  the  starch  grains  to  swell  and  burst,  and 


1889.]  MAN  100.  485 

become  agglutinated  together.  A  sauce  called  '  Cassareeji,' iised  fur  flavouring 
soups  and  other  dishes,  particularly  the  West  Indian  dish  known  as  '  pepper- 
pot,'  is  also  prepared  from  this  juice  by  concentrating  and  rendering  it  harm- 
less by  boiling." — Treasury  of  Botany,  Longmans,  1876,  p.  717-8. 

To  this  extract,  the  following  additional  notes  may  be  appended. 

The  poisonous  property  of  the  bitter  cassava  has  been  proved^  by  MM. 
Henry  and  Boutron  Charlard,  which,  being  a  volatile  poison,  is  driven  off  liy 
the  heat  employed  to  dry  the  manihot  cake,  or  to  torrefy  the  starch  into 
tapioca.  The  expressed  juice,  when  concentrated  by  boiling  to  form  the 
sauce  known  as  cassareep,  in  like  mnnner  loses  the  prussic  acid  it  contained. 
It  is  a  curious  fiict  with  regard  to  this  sauce,  that  it  is  stated  to  have  anti- 
septic properties,  so  that  cooked  meat  covered  with  it  will  keep  much  longer 
than  if  not  so  treated. 

I'he  occurrence  of  prussic  acid  in  one  variety  of  this  plant  and  its  absence 
in  another  variety  has  a  parallel  in  the  almond  tree;  the  bitter  almond  con- 
taining prussic  acid,  whilst  the  sweet  variety  is  free  from  it.  It  has,  however, 
been  stated,  with  respect  to  the  sweet  cassava,  that  the  root  does  contain 
prussic  acid,-  but  the  poison  can  apparenily  be  present  only  to  an  extent  not 
injurious  to  life,  since,  according  to  Dr.  Hamilton,  the  sweet  cassava  requires 
no  other  preparation  than  simply  boiling  or  roasting ;  and  even  admits  of  being 
eaten  raw  with  impunity. 

The  term  cassava,  cassada,  or  cassavi  api^lied  to  these  plants  is,  accord- 
ing to  the  same  authority,  a  corruption  of  the  original  Indian  name  of 
cazabbi. 

The  bitter  cassava  is  grown  on  account  of  its  larger  yield  of  tuberous  roots, 
and  to  prevent  accidents  it  is  generally  grown  in  a  separate  plot  from  the 
sweet  variety. 

I  am  informed  by  a  lady,  who  resided  in  the  West  Indies,  that  the  negroes 
state  that  the  poison  resides  in  the  rind  of  the  root,  and  that  the  fleshy 
internal  portion  is  used  by  them  as  an  antidote.  How  far  the  antidote  may 
be  of  any  use  appears  problematical.  The  occurrence  of  the  poison  only  in 
the  rind  of  the  root,  is,  however,  possible,  for  it  is  well  known  that  in  the 
potato  the  poisonous  principle  solanine  is  almost,  if  not  entirely,  confined  to 
the  rind  and  the  tissue  forming  the  buds  or  "  eyts." 

Dr.  Peekolb,  who  has  carefully  examined  the  root,^  finds  prussic  acid  in  all 
varieties  of  both  sweet  and  bitter  cassava,  .although  present  in  smaller 
c[uantities  m  the  sweet  kinds.  It  does  not  exist  as  such  in  the  root  while  it  is 
in  the  earth,  but  is  formed  on  contact  of  the  root  with  atmospheric  air,  and 
its  formation  can  be  prevented  entirely  by  immersing  the  fresh-dug  root  in 
alcohol.  Tlie  power  of  forming  prussic  acid  is  greatest  when  the  plant  is 
tioweriug,  and  the  plants  richest  in  juice  are  usually  the  most  poisonous. 
The  cassava  also  contains,  ready  formed  in  the  root,  another  volatile  poison 
called  manihotoxin,of  which  when  extracted  in  crystals,  five  milligrams  were 
sufficient  to  kill  a  full  grown  pigeon  in  five  minutes. 

The  antiseptic  properties  of  cassareep  are  due  to  the  presence  of  a  third 
body  named  sepsicolytin  or  fermentation  hinderer,  and  which  is  more  abun- 
dant in  the  sweet  root.  It  was  obtained  as  a  thickish  light  brown  extract, 
having  a  peculiar  odour  and  a  bitter  pungent  taste.  It  is  freely  soluble  in 
alcohol  and  ether,  less  soluble  in  cold  water,  and  only  partially  in  boiling 
water,  and  insoluble  in  chloroform,  petroleum  spirit,  carbon  bisulphide  and 
essential  oils. 

E.  M.  H.] 


^  Journ.  de  Pharm.,  xxii.,  p.  119. 

-  E.  Francis.      Journ.  Eoy.  Agric.   and  Cot.  Soc,  Brit.   Guiana,  IS. 
Pharm.  Journ.  (I.)  v.,  p.  274. 

^  Pharm.  Rundschau,  iv.,  148,  17G,  201. 


486  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOBIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

Potatoes  (Sweet). — AYe  met  with  six  varieties  of  this  more 
familiar  esculent.  On  the  plains,  beyond  the  forest  and 
towards  the  Albert  Xyanza,  they  were  particularly  sweet  and 
good. 

Meat. — The  Column  shared,  under  different  circumstances, 
the  flesh  of  ox,  goat,  sheep,  buffalo,  giraffe,  antelope,  donkey,  rat, 
monkey,  fowl,  and  some  minor  etceteras ;  the  longest  time 
without  tasting  meat  was  121  days  or  17f  weeks. 

Fish. — A  few,  generally  very  small,  like  gudgeon,  but  those 
-we  got  in  the  Albert  weighed  sixty  pounds ;  they  w-ere  very 
muddy,  and  of  the  barbel  variety. 

Insects,  and  other  lower  invertebrates.     In   the   forest   we 
partook  largely  of  ants  as  a  condiment :  also  locusts,  slugs,  snails, 
■  caterpillars,  and  lice.     The  last  four  were  not  eaten  by  whites. 

Reptiles. — SnaJces  flesh  was  declared  by  those  who  tried  it 
•  to  be  very  good;  the  savoury  smell  when  cooking  Avas 
^extremely  appetising. 

Cereals. — Indian  corn,  matammah,  millet,  sesame,  rice. 
Forest  leans. — These  formed  a  fairly  substantial  article  of 
diet ;  they  are  almost  circular  in  section — extreme  measure- 
ments, about  four  inches  by  three.  The  exterior  is  of  a  dark 
chestnut  colour.  They  require  to  be  scraped  up  thoroughly, 
iis  they  ai'c  very  hard.  There  is  a  depression  at  one  end  for 
the  stalk,  by  which  they  are  attached  to  the  parent  tree. 
'The  bean  is  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in  depth ;  the  tree  itself 
grows  to  a  height  of  about  150  feet. 

Forest  fruits,  as  the  amomum,  mahunga,  the  elephant  fruit, 
and  many  others. 

Sugar-cane,  hrinjals,  if ater-melons,  p)eas,  yams,  pumphins, 
Jiihiscus  (to  form  a  substitute  -for  coffee).  Coffee  herries  and 
chillies. 

Among  European  provisions  were,  tinned  meats  (very  little) 
milk,  butter,  sugar,  honey,  biscuits,  onions,  tea,  coffee,  salt,  &c., 
also  some  beverages,  and  articles  of  luxury,  brandy,  whishj, 
tobacco,  &c.  They  were  small  in  quantity,  and  did  not  reach 
far  into  the  interior  of  the  Dark  Continent. 

The  mboga  or  spinach,  on  which  we  mainly  existed  in  the 

forest  for  many  weeks,  was  a  mixture  compounded  from  the 

bruised  leaves  of  different  plants,  six  of  which  I  will  describe  : 

1.  A  green  serrated  leaf— half  an  inch  to  four  inches  iu 

length — on  which  Nelson  and   myself  almost   lived  during 


1889.]  VARIOUS  EATABLES.  487 

our  residence  at  Ipoto.  The  plant  grows  to  a  height  of 
about  seven  feet,  although  most  of  the  specimens  which  were 
used  were  only  about  two  feet.  The  stem  is  green  and 
succulent;  the  flower  yellow,  and  like  that  of  groundsel  in 
appearance;  the  stamens  have  a  somewhat  disagreeable 
rankish  odour.  It  grows  most  luxuriously  where  there  is 
abundance  of  filth ;  and,  accordingly,  found  a  favourable  bed 
in  the  vicinity  of  the  Manyuema  camp. 

2.  Molioga  Zea/.— This  grows  on  a  small  tree  about  three  or 
four  feet  in  lieight,  and  one  to  four  inches  in  diameter.  The 
branches  are  very  numerous,  thin,  and  extremely  brittle.  It 
has  a  tuberous  root  which  is  also  edible.  The  leaves  are  green, 
and  each  is  furnished  with  four  or  five  leaflets.  The  leaf-stalk 
is  reddish  in  colour. 

3.  Leaf  of  sweet-potato  ^jlant.— This]' plant  grows  in  the  form 
of  a  thin  creeper  running  along  the  ground,  and  sometimes 
climbing  the  trunks  of  trees.  The  tubers— not  unlike  those  of 
the  English  potato— are  connected  with  the  nodes.  The  leaf 
may  be  whitish;  but  is  usually  puce-coloured  on  the  upper 
surface,  and  reddish  on  the  lower.  The  creepers  form  a  com- 
plete network  over  th3  face  of  the  soil,  throughout  a  great  part 
of  the  clearings  in  the  forest. 

4.  Leaf  of  the  pej^l^er-j^Iant  (chilli  bush,  or  pislipsila). — 
This  shrub  grows  to  a  height  of  about  four  feet — usually 
found  in  old  clearings.  It  has  numerous  red  pods,  which, 
when  dried  and  pounded,  make  the  hottest  "  cayenne."  The 
leaf  is  green,  and  makes  a  very  good  ingredient  for  spinach, 

5.  A  green  leaf,  with  an  elongated  and  sharply  curved 
■point.     It  grows  on  a  short  succulent  stem. 

6.  The  leaves  of  the  pumpkin. 

On  these  six  ingredients,  combined  in  varied  proportions — 
but  nearly  always  with  a  large  preponderance  of  the  first — 
Nelson  and  myself  dragged  out  the  greater  portion  of  our 
existence  at  the  Manyuema  settlement. 

Our  men,  and  especially  the  Zanzibaris,  bore  their  trials  of 
prolonged  starvation  with  wonderful  patience  and  forbearance ; 
they  were  always  willing  to  share  their  scanty  fare  with  their 
•white  companions.  When  things  were  at  the  worst,  many  of 
them  lived  almost  without  a  trace  of  food  for  about  eight  or 
nine  days,  after  which  they  rapidly  sank.  Fortunately  the 
blacks  regard  death  as  a  mere  quietus  to  human  suffering,  the 


488  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

emanci]3ation  of  sense  from  the  bitter  bondage  of  physical 
agony,  though  skill  and  power  may  sometimes  interpose 
between  the  tyrant  pain  and  the  trembling  victim. 

During  our  three  months'  sojourn  at  Ipoto,  Nelson  and 
myself  sold  all  our  spare  clothes,  and  everything  else  we  had 
of  our  own,  to  procure  ourselves  a  little  food.  We  also 
bartered  a  few  old  mildewed  coats  and  articles  of  under- 
clothing which  had  been  consigned  to  Emin  Pasha  by  the 
Egyptian  Government :  they  were  not  of  much  value  as 
wearing  apparel ;  but  the  brass  buttons,  with  the  crescent  and 
star,  proved  attractive  items  in  the  eyes  of  our  covetous, 
hosts. 

When  Jephson  was  returning  from  Ipoto  to  relieve  Nelson 
and  bring  him  up  from  "  Starvation  Camp,"  he  found  a  number 
of  the  skeletons  of  the  jjoor  Zanzibaris,  who  had  evaded  the 
rear-guard,  by  dropping  out  on  the  line  of  march,  and  had 
then  simply  lain  down  and  died  of  starvation  ;  for  there  was  no 
means  of  transport  then  for  either  black  or  white.  As  I  have 
already  mentioned,  they  usually  kept  up  with  wonderful  patience 
and  fortitude  till  the  powers  of  nature  were  almost  completely 
undermined,  when  rapid  collapse  followed.  One  of  the  most 
affectionate  memories  which  I  have  ever  had  reason  to  carry 
Avith  me  in  life  is  that  of  the  almost  more  than  human  kind- 
ness and  faithfulness  of  my  Zanzibar!  chief,  Feruzi  Ali ;  who,, 
as  mentioned  in  a  former  page,  died  from  the  effects  of  a  wound 
inflicted  by  a  huge  knife  which  fractured  and  depressed  the 
vault  of  the  cranium,  and  caused  death  by  extensive  com- 
pression and  laceration  of  the  brain  substance.  That  man 
often  gave  me  a  full  half  share  of  his  scanty  meal  of  forest 
fruit,  when  the  whole  would  have  made  but  a  poor  repast  for 
himself,  and  when  he  could  not  say  whether  he  would  be  able 
to  secure  another  morsel  for  days  to  come.  Bitterly  did  I 
regret  that  what  small  skill  I  could  bring  to  bear  upon  his. 
case  was  not  efficacious  in  saving  his  life  from  the  effects  of 
the  dreadful  wound  which  the  ambushed  savage  had  just  had 
time  to  inflict  upon  him. 

When  the  starvation  period  was  at  its  height,  Stairs,. 
Jephson,  and  myself,  had  our  strength  almost  utterly  ex- 
hausted by  the  continual  repetition  of  the  lifting  of  boxes  on 
to  the  heads  of  our  carriers,  who  dropped  them  from  time  to 
time  to  try  and  gather  a  little  strength ;  after  which  neither 


1889.]  SUNS TB ORE    VERY   UNCOMMON.  4S9* 

they  nor  their  comrades  were  able  to  replace  them.  3Ir.  Stanley- 
led  the  way,  and  Nelson  was  behind.  We  found  it  somewhat 
hard  to  maintain  strength  or  spirits  under  these  circumstances. 
Many  of  the  men,  on  putting  down  their  boxes  in  this  way, 
crawled  for  a  little  way  into  the  bush,  and  lay  down  to  search 
on  the  ground  for  fallen  forest  fruits,  insects,  &c.,  but — never 
rosc  again.  It  v:as  a  dismal  time,  poor  fellows ;  a  dismal, 
dismal  time ! 

My  important  medical  experiences  during  the  course  of  the 
Expedition  have  already  been  given  in  the  previous  pages. 
The  trip  from  Zanzibar  to  the  Congo's  mouth  lasted  twenty- 
three  days,  and  cost  three  lives  only,  which  was  by  no  means  a 
high  mortality,  having  regard  to  the  crowded  state  of  the 
vessel  which  we  occupied,  and  the  native  repugnance  to  the 
laws  of  cleanliness  and  hygiene  displayed  by  our  blacks.  The 
three  deaths  were  respectively  due  to  dysentery,  pneumonia^ 
and  insolation. 

Of  pure  dysentery  during  the  whole  remaining  time  of  the 
Expedition  I  saw  comparatively  little ;  the  intestinal  cases,  of 
which  there  were  very  many  indeed,  were  almost  invariably 
general  intestinal  catarrh,  or  gastro-intestinal :  with  the  usual 
symptoms  of  moderate  fever,  severe  bilious  vomiting,  abdo- 
minal pains,  &c.,  &c.,  with  a  great  deal  of  mucous  discharge, 
sometimes  haimorrhage,  and  some  straining,  but  little  or  no 
true  tenesmus.  Several  cases  of  true  dysentery  also  occurred 
during  this  voyage. 

The  very  exceptional  occurrence  of  sunstroke  in  Equatorial 
Africa  has  also  been  repeatedly  referred  to.  We  had  a  good 
share  of  bronchial  and  pneumonic  affections  on  board  the 
Madura.  They  mostly  occurred  among  the  men  who  slept 
towards  the  starboard-side  of  the  vessel,  and  near  the  heat  of  the 
boilers.  The  exposure  to  the  morning  chills  after  this  toast- 
ing during  the  night,  proved  quite  sufficient  to  develop  chest- 
symptoms  in  those  who  were  not  naturally  furnished  with 
more  than  the  ordinary  degree  of  vis  vitse. 

A  good  deal  of  anxiety  was  developed  by  the  occurrence  of 
the  case  of  small-pox  on  board  the  Oriental,  and,  as  related  in 
my  diary  for  that  date,  I  commenced  to  vaccinate  almost  imme- 
diately after  leaving  Zanzibar  for  the  Congo.  I  had  but  a 
limited  supply  of  lymph  to  utilise,  but  I  vaccinated  many 
from  the  vesicles  of  their  comrades.      I  continued  the  ope- 


490  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

mtion  till  all  were  yaccinated  —  excepting  those  who  had 
recently  had  small-pox,  or  who  had  been  deeply  pitted  by 
an  old  attack,  or  who  showed  well-prononnced  marks  of  recent 
vaccination.  Of  the  whole  number  vaccinated,  only  sixty-four- 
and-a-half  per  cent,  of  the  cases  were  successful ;  the  remainder 
were  either  wholly  unsuccessful,  or  developed  but  small  abortive 
vesicles ;  although,  in  the  refractory  cases,  I  repeated  the 
operation  several  times.  These  failures  in  vaccination  are 
very  common  on  both  the  east  and  west  coasts  of  sub-tropical 
Africa.  Dr.  Hussey,  of  Zanzibar,  told  me  that  he  had,  not 
long  before,  used  the  contents  ol  six  tubes  which  he  had  pro- 
cured from  England,  from  which  he  had  not  succeeded  in 
obtaining  a  single  successful  vaccination.  This  has  been 
explained  (and  I  have  no  doubt  correctly),  by  competent 
hygienic  authorities,  as  the  result  of  the  prevalence  of  the 
torrid  Harmattan  winds  ;  which  dry  up  the  lymph  before  it  has 
time  to  be  absorbed.  I  tried  to  make  the  best  of  my  supply 
by  moistening  freely  with  a  mixture  of  glycerine  and  water, 
and  am  disposed  to  attribute  my  comparative  success  to  this 
treatment.  The  subsequent  effects  of  the  vaccination  of  these 
men  were  very  gratifying  indeed  ;  for,  although  exposed  to  the 
epidemic  of  small-pox  at  Banalya,  in  1888  (when  Mr,  Stanley 
was  returning  with  the  remnant  of  the  rear  column),  but  four 
cases  occurred  among  all  our  men,  and  all  of  them  recovered  ; 
while  the  unvaccinated  Manyuema  all  around  them  contracted 
the  most  virulent  forms  of  the  disease,  and  died  in  great 
numbers. 

Some  accidents  also  occurred  on  board  the  Madura — incised 
wounds,  a  few  fractures,  crushed  fingers  (which  required  ampu- 
tation), and  one  severe  case  of  compression  of  the  brain. 

The  Madura  was  registered  to  carry  750  passengers  "  'tween 
decks,"  and  this  section  of  the  vessel  was  exclusively  reserved 
for  our  Zanzibaris,  Nubians,  and  Somalis.  Our  total  number 
was  803,  including  Tippu-Tib's  party  of  ninety-eight  (thirty-five 
of  whom  were  ladies  of  his  harem).  Tippu-Tib  and  his  followers 
occupied  the  foremost  part  of  the  ship,  and  second  class  ;  the 
after  part  was  given  to  the  Europeans  and  the  two  interpreters. 
Tippu-Tib  was  frequently  invited  to  come  aft ;  and,  indeed, 
he  often  invited  himself  and  the  members  of  his  Staff.  One 
of  the  latter,  his  brother-in-law,  spoke  English  very  well ; 
had  been  to  London  and  was  intimate  with  the  geography  of 


1889.]  TIPFU-TID   AND   HIS   STAFF.  491 

Hyde  Park,  the  Marble  Arch,  &c.,  &c. :  he  also  was  at  one 
time  employed  as  Arabic  interpreter  to  the  British  Force  at 
Suakim.  Another  member  of  the  Staff  of  the  "  African  Bis- 
marck "  appeared  to  function  as  "  Prime  Minister."  A  third 
was  certainly  a  kind  of  private  chaplain  :  he  was  always  mut- 
tering extracts  Irom  the  Koran,  and  perpetually  running  a 

string  of  beads  throuo-h  his  fingers,  each  one  of  which  cor- 
es O  O        ' 

responded  to  a  prayer  of  definite  value.  Tippu-Tib  himself  is 
a  very  remarkable  individual  in  every  way — of  commanding 
presence,  and  a  wonderful  degree  of  natural  ease  and  grace 
of  manner  and  action.  He  stands  nearly  six  feet  in  height,  has 
brilliant,  dark,  intelligent  eyes,  and  bears  himself  with  an  air 
of  ultra-imperial  dignity,  without  a  trace  of  effort  or  affectation. 
He  was  always  dressed  in  Arab  costume,  of  spotless  white.  His 
wives  carried  his  food  and  baggage.  They  Avere  all  well 
developed  in  every  way ;  most  were  fairly  good-looking ; 
necessarily  very  dirty — as  they  never  washed ;  and  very  high- 
smelling.  He  must  have  married  all  these  females  for  love, 
as  none  had  any  money,  and  they  certainly  had  very  little 
trousseau. 

The  leading  men  of  his  Staff,  although  indifferent  per- 
sonages to  look  at  in  presence  of  their  chief,  were  also  very 
graceful  and  dignified  in  their  demeanour  and  movements. 
They  were  all  devout  Muslims.  I  could  not  help  admiring 
the  perfection  to  which  they  carried  out  their  practice  of 
dental  hygiene.  After  every  meal,  and  also  in  the  intervals 
between,  each  of  them  carefully  cleaned  his  teeth  with  a  thin 
piece  of  wood,  of  which  the  end  had,  while  fresh,  been  teased 
out  into  a  flexible  fibrous  brush.  The  result  was  as  perfect  as 
could  be  desired.  I  have  referred  to  the  similar  custom  of  the 
Zanzibaris.  The  latter  prepared  a  fresh  flexible  piece  of 
sapling  for  this  purpose,  by  chewing  the  end,  and  then  teasing 
out  the  fibres. 

Disinfectants  were  very  freely  used  on  board,  and  their 
employment  greatly  increased  our  comfort  during  the  voyage  ; 
without  them  the  overcrowding  of  the  blacks,  and  their  want 
of  attention  to  personal  cleanliness,  added  to  their  naturally 
somewhat  oppressive  odour,  would  have  made  the  place  in- 
tolerable. 


492  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 


CHAPTEE  XXVII. 

SUMMAEY   OP   MY   PROFESSIONAL   AND    PERSONAL    EXPEPaENCES 
WITH   THE   RELIEF   EXPEDITION. 

My  experiences  from  the  Congo  mouth  to  Stanley  Pool — All  of  us  have 
suffered  some  time  or  another  from  gastro-intestinal  catarrh — Our  sick 
left  at  Mataddi  and  Leopoldville — How  to  render  manioc  wholesome — 
Luxuriant  forests  of  the  Upper  Congo  River — Unijleasant  times  on  board 
the  Henry  Reed  while  proceeding  to  Yambuya — Poisoned  wooden  spil^es 
placed  in  the  ground  by  the  savages — Our  march  through  the  dense 
primeval  forest — Camping-groimds  and  hut  construction — Plornets'  nests 
in  the  forest — Our  food-supply  on  the  journey  to  Lake  Albert — Mr. 
Stanley  assists  me  with  valuable  advice  in  the  prevention  and  treatment 
of  fevers — During  the  forest  march  we  are  pestered  b}'"  parasites,  jiggers 
and  ticks — The  removal  of  the  arrow-head  from  Lieutenant  Stairs'  chest 
• — Amputation  of  Juma's  foot — Great  mortality  among  tlie  sick  left  at 
Ugarrowwa's  Station — The  terrible  gangrenous  ulcers — Nelson's  Starva- 
tion Camp — Mr.  Stanley  presents  me  with  a  watch  ami  chain — History 
of  the  same — Incident  showing  the  loyalty  of  our  Zanzibaris — Oar 
arrival  at  Bagamoyo— We  are  entertained  by  the  local  magnates,  &c. — 
Accident  to  Emin  Pasha — He  develops  broncho-pneumonic  symptoms — 
The  Germans  interfere  with  the  Pasha's  boxes — I  am  struck  down  with 
hasmaturic  fever — Dr.  Charlesworth's  anxiety  regarding  my  condition — 
My  former  attack  of  hasmaturic  fever  at  Fort  Bodo — My  ill-fated  friend 
Major  Barttelot — Mr.  J.  S.  Jameson  and  Mr.  Bonny — Concluding  remarks 
about  my  three  fellow-officers :  Jephson,  Nelson,  Stairs — Our  leader, 
Mr.  Stanley  — Welcome  home — The  end. 

We  reached  the  Cong-o  on  the  18th  of  March,  1887,  and 
there — when  we  were  told  by  everybody  that  no  steamers 
could  be  procured  to  convey  us  up  river,  as  all  those  in  that 
part  of  tlie  world  were  out  of  repair,  and  one  of  them  actually 
stranded  on  the  beach  before  us — I  had  first  an  opportunity  of 
estimating  what  our  leader  could  accomplish  in  overcoming- 
difficulties,  when  everything  seemed  to  be  against  him.  Details- 
already  publislied  need  not  be  repeated  here.  On  the  21st 
Ave  were  at  jMataddi,  108  miles  up  river,  when  the  organization 
of  our  expedition  was  completed.  During  the  seven  days^ 
which  elapsed,  from  the  time  wo  entered  the  Congo  till  we  left 
JMataddi,  we  had  five  deaths ;  the  Avork  was  very  severe,  and, 
all  performed  under  a  burning  sun.     Of  the  fatal  cases,  one 


1S89.]  SUMMJIiY  OF  311"  FliOFESSIONAL  FXFFFIEXCES.  493 

was  pneumonia ;  two,  bronchitis  ;  one,  peritonitis  (traumatic)  ; 
and  one  sunstroke.  Fourteen  others  were  invalided  here  (at 
Mataddi) ;  they  suffered  from  fever  (malarial),  pneumonia, 
bronchitis,  and  dysentery. 

On  the  way  from  Mataddi  to  Stanley  Pool,  the  marching 
was  over  an  undulating,  grassy  country,  with  a  few  small 
forests  here  and  there,  and  intersected  by  many  deep  and 
rapid  streams.  We  had  several  heavy  rainfalls  during  this 
period.  The  men  suffered  greatly  on  the  march  from  sore- 
ness and  tenderness  of  the  feet ;  some  ulcers  developed,  and  they 
had  a  good  deal  of  fever — especially  after  wettings — either  by 
crossing  a  stream,  or  being  exposed  to  a  drenching  tropical 
.shower.  The  Somalis  proved  especially  vulnerable  in  this 
way ;  their  native  climate  about  Aden  being  very  dry  and 
sandy,  the  change  of  meteorological  conditions  was  too  abrupt 
and  complete. 

As  the  Expedition  proceeded  across  the  Dark  Continent,  I 
believe  every  member,  both  black  and  white,  suffered  from 
attacks  of  gastro-intestinal  catarrh.  It  was  ushered  in  with 
moderate  fever,  violent  bilious  vomiting,  cramps  and  straining, 
with  copious  diarrhcea.  The  tongue  was  deeply  coated  with  a 
dry  f'jr,  which  in  bad  cases,  became  almost  quite  black.  The 
dejecta  were  charged  with  mucus,  which  was  sometimes  blood- 
stained. I  had  myself  a  very  severe  attack  of  this  kind  at 
Leopoldville,  as  noted  in  my  diary  at  the  corresponding  date, 
and  believe  that  I  am  in  a  great  measure  indebted  for  my 
chances  of  recovery  to  the  kindness  of  Captain  Liebrichts. 
He  accommodated  me  with  a  comfortable  clay  hut  to  lie  in, 
and  sent  me  regularly  a  supply  of  cow's  milk,  of  which  I  took 
two  tumblersful  daily.  It  constituted  my  only  nourishment 
during  this  illness,  and  I  must  again  pause  to  thank  the 
benevolent  donor  for  his  kindly  and  opportune  gift. 

At  Mataddi,  and  at  other  stations  on  the  way,  the  invalids 
were  left  behind  with  a  supply  of  food  and  medicine ;  and 
received  directions  to  follow  us  as  soon  as  they  were  able  to 
continue  their  march.  Under  such  circumstances,  four  Zan- 
zibaris  were  left  with  the  English  missionaries  at  Palaballa ; 
five  with  the  American  missionaries  at  Bauza  Manteka ;  and 
two  at  the  Lutete  mission.  One  Zanzibari,  in  going  down  a 
steep  hill,  allowed  his  box  to  slip  and  crush  the  back  of 
his  neck.      He  complained  of  stiffness  and  soreness  at  the 


494  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATOFiIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

injured  place  afterwards,  but  developed  no  prominent  symp- 
toms till  after  five  days'  further  marching,  when  the  phe- 
nomena of  compression  of  the  cervical  spinal  cord  supervened  ; 
paralysis  of  the  trunk  and  limbs  below  the  seat  of  injury  was 
rapidly  developed,  and  we  were  obliged  to  leave  him  behind 
in  charge  of  some  friendly  natives,  who  were  paid  for  food  and 
nursing. 

On  the  way  to  Leopold ville,  one  Somali  and  one  Zanzibari 
died ;  another  Zanzibari  was  shot  dead  by  a  native,  and  one 
more  was  wounded  with  some  slugs.  The  Europeans,  up  to 
this  date,  suffered  little  or  nothing  from  the  malaria,  as  they 
had  been  periodically  dosed  with  quinine  on  board  ship,  which 
certainly  acted  as  an  effectual  prophylactic.  Five  other  Zan- 
zibaris,  declared  "unfit,"  were  left  at  (or  near)  Leopoldville. 
Accordingly,  when  leaving  this  station  our  loss  in  men  had 
amounted  to  fifty-eight : — 


Deaths. 

On  board  the  Madura  . 
Up  to  Mataddi  .  .  . 
Beyond    „         ... 


Invalids. 

At  Mataddi.     ...  14 

„   Leopoldville       .      .  5 

Between  above  stations  12 


Desertions 16 

Our  supply  of  rice  lasted  till'^we  reached  Leopoldville.  On 
leaving  this  station,  the  food  of  our  men  was  at  once  changed 
to  manioc,  which  was  purchased  from  the  natives  along  the 
Upper  Congo,  as  they  understood  barter.  A  necessary  pre- 
caution must  be  adopted  in  the  preparation  of  this  article  of 
diet.  To  make  it  wholesome  food,  the  tuber  must  be  soaked 
in  water  (frequently  changed,  or  in  that  of  a  running  stream) 
till  the  outer  portion  has  undergone  partial  decomposition. 
This  has  the  effect  of  getting  rid  of  some  deleterious  principles, 
which  if  taken  into  the  stomach,  produce  serious  symptoms. 
Our  Zanzibaris  were  instructed  how  to  prepare  the  manioc  for 
food;  but  with  their  usual  recklessness  and  want  of  fore- 
thought, they  were  sometimes  too  lazy  or  careless  to  take  any 
trouble  with  the  tubers,  and  ate  them  raw.  They  always  paid 
dearly  for  this  folly,  for  they  soon  developed  severe  gastric 
pains,  accompanied  by  vomiting — sometimes  extremely  violent 
— and  blanching  faintness,  with  other  symptoms  of  prostration ; 
and  were  almost  utterly  unfit  for  Avork  for  a  couple  of  days 


1889.]  SUMMARY  OF  MY  PROFESSIONAL  EXPERIENCES.  495 

aftei'Avards  owing  to  a  feeling  of  syncope  probably  produced  by 
the  contained  hydrocyanic  acid. 

The  Nubians  and  Somalis,  who  had  never  been  accustomed 
to  this  kind  of  diet,  suffered  greatly  in  health  when  suddenly 
deprived  of  their  accustomed  rice  food. 

The  banks  of  the  Congo,  up  to  Bolobo,  are  in  most  places 
very  thickly  grown  with  bush,  which  extends  in  great 
luxuriance  down  even  to  the  water's  edge.  There  are  besides, 
however,  large  tracks  of  grass-lands.  Beyond  Bolobo,  there  is 
nothing  but  forest.  On  the  right  bank  of  the  Congo,  opposite 
the  junction  -of  the  Kassai  river,  large  herds  of  elephants 
may  be  seen  wandering  about,  enjoying  the  undisturbed  quiet 
of  the  primeval  forest.  One  group  I  saw,  which  contained  at 
least  one  hundred  splendidly  developed  specimens.  The 
foliage  on  the  river's  bank,  as  we  passed  up  this  region,  was 
very  dense  and  luxuriant.  The  neighbouring  lands  are  very 
swampy,  and  abound  in  an  extremely  rich  undergrowth. 
Fortunately  for  our  comfort,  there  were  no  mosquitoes.  The 
forest  foliage  is  so  dense  that  the  sun's  rays  never  reach  the 
ground,  and  there  is  always  a  rank,  "  confined "  odour  of 
decomposing  vegetable  matter. 

Thers  was  great  crowding  on  board  the  Henry  Reed,  on 
which  I  travelled  most  of  the  way  ;  and  I  felt  thoroughly  sick 
of  the  journey  when  I  landed  at  Yambuya,  on  the  15th  of  June, 
1887.  Tippu-Tib  and  his  followers  had  all  travelled  in  the 
Hennj  Reed.  His  women,  as  already  mentioned,  never  washed ; 
and,  accordingly,  the  odour  of  their  haunts  was  more  pungent 
than  odoriferous.  They  always  lounged  and  lolled  about  in 
the  saloon,  in  a  half-sickly,  half-lethargic  state  ;  but,  if  at  all 
disturbed,  would  assert  themselves  and  have  their  own  way  in 
everything.  I  collected  all  the  heavy  baggage  (boxes,  &c.), 
which  I  could  obtain,  and  carefully  barricaded  off  one  quarter 
of  the  saloon  so  as  to  protect  myself,  as  far  as  possible,  from 
the  consequences  of  too  close  proximity  ;  but  my  efforts  were 
not  followed  by  a  satisfactory  degree  of  success.  These 
relentless  women  would  shove  their  legs  through,  between  the 
boxes,  so  as  to  lie  at  full  length  ;  and,  sometimes,  when  a 
number  of  them  felt  the  obstruction  simultaneously,  they 
would  employ  their  united  strength  to  push  down  my  whole 
barricade,  so  that  I  was  obliged  to  gather  myself  up  into  a 
corner,  and  even  to  cry  out  for  mercy.     I  am  not  likely  soon 


496  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

to  forget  the  fragrance  of  these  women ;  or  the  sight  of  their 
numerous  limbs  protruding  through  my  ^Yeak  enclosure, 
exposed  as  far  as  the  pelvis,  and  without  any  superfluous 
anxiety  for  the  requirements  of  propriety  or  decency.  1  some- 
times tried  the  effect  of  pricking  the  aggressive  limbs  with 
pins,  but  their  yells  and  snarling  aroused  the  attention  of 
Tippu-Tib,  whose  wrath  at  once  descended  upon  me,  so  that 
I  was  obliged  to  abandon  that  mode  of  self-preservation. 

On  the  way  from  Leopold ville  to  Yambuya  we  had  eleven 
deaths.  One  of  these  was  from  sunstroke,  the  others  from 
fever  or  dysentery.  Of  the  eleven  men  who  died :  five  were 
Nubians,  three  Somalis,  and  three  Zanzibaris.  When  at 
Yambuya,  one  of  our  Nubians,  while  out  foraging,  received 
^1  spear-wound,  which  penetrated  the  abdominal  cavity,  and 
soon  proved  fatal.  One  of  our  Syrian  interpreters  died  of 
a  very  acute  attack  of  dysentery.  Up  to  this  date  all  the 
white  men  had  suffered  more  or  less  from  malarial  fever.  At 
Yambuya,  Stairs  had  fever  of  a  typho-malarial  type.  The 
principal  symptoms  were  of  the  usual  enteric  character,  but 
the  temperature  range  was  distinctly  that  of  malarial  fever. 
On  the  morning  we  left  Yambuya,  his  temperature  was  104"  F. ; 
he  had  to  be  carried — at  first  in  a  hammock,  afterwards  in  a 
•canoe — and  he  had  still  some  weeks  of  severe  illness  before 
him,  but  afterwards  made  an  excellent  recoA'-ery.  The  men 
left  behind  at  Yambuya  were  not  the  best  men  of  the  Expedi- 
tion ;  a  good  many  were  weakly,  and  a  large  proportion  had 
ulcers,  but  as  they  had  all  been  strong  and  healthy,  and 
.specially  selected  before  leaving  Zanzibar  three  months  pre- 
viously, I  considered  that,  Avith  rest  and  plenty  of  food,  they 
should  recuperate,  and  make'  as  good  men  as  any  in  the 
Advance  Column. 

We  Avere  not  far  from  Yambuya  on  our  first  march  tqwards 
the  Albert  Nyanza,  Avhen  two  of  our  Zanzibaris  Avere  Avounded 
by  arrows,  shot  at  them  by  hostile  natives.  Next  day  many 
of  our  carriers  were  very  footsore,  and  several  Avere  Avoundcd 
by  "  makonga,"  Avooden  spikes,  which  the  vicious  saA^ages 
placed  obliquely  in  the  ground  on  the  paths  leading  to  their 
villages.  Some  of  these  penetrated  the  Avhole  thickness  of  the 
foot  from  below,  the  point  appearing  on  the  instep.  Some- 
•times  the  point  broke  off  short  in  the  foot.  Some  of  these 
jiiakonga  Avere  made  long  enough  to  penetrate  the  abdomen 


1889.]  SUMMARY  OF  MY  PROFESSIONAL  EXPERIENCES.  497 

and  break  off  short  within  its  cavity),  or  even  reach  the  spine. 
These  longer  ones  were  nearly  always  found  at  the  end  of  a 
log,  or  fallen  tree,  along  which  we  were  obliged  to  walk  or 
crawl,  and  from  which  we  had  to  jump  to  the  ground.  In  this 
position  they  were  fearfully  dangerous  ;  and  it  was  very  difficult 
to  induce  our  poor,  reckless  Zauzibari  carriers  to  take  sufficient 
precaution  to  avoid  the  danger.  There  was  always  a  spiral 
groove  cut  near  the  pointed  end,  so  as  to  form  a  shoulder,  and 
allow  all  the  tapering  portion  beyond  to  break  off  easily  after 
penetrating  the  tissues. 

We  were  now  marching  through  dense  primeval  forests,  in 
which  we  often  passed  several  days  without  a  glimpse  of  the 
sun,  oppressed  with  the  persistent  odour  of  decomposing 
vegetation ;  frequently  wading  through  stinking,  miasmatic 
swamps,  and  stagnant  elephant  pools ;  often  obliged  to  strip 
naked  and  wade,  or  swim,  across  rivers  ;  and  afterwards  sleep  in 
damp  clothes,  which  we  were  sometimes  unable  to  dry  for 
several  days,  as  the  sun's  rays  could  not  reach  us.  We  were 
frequently  obliged  to  sleep  between  wet  blankets;  all  the 
officers  had  waterproof  sheets,  which  we  threw  over  a  few 
leaves  and  branches  arranged  as  a  mattress.  We  usually 
made  a  fire  near  the  door  of  the  tent ;  but,  when  the  bush  was 
very  thick,  and  our  men  exhausted  after  the  march,  we  were 
often  unable  to  have  a  clearing  made  for  the  tents ;  each  of 
wliieh  occupied  a  space  of  eight  feet  square,  and  was  tenanted 
by  two  officers.  Afterwards,  we  were  obliged  to  cut  these  tents 
into  two,  as  they  were  very  inconvenient,  and  the  officers  often 
had  to  separate  when  on  foraging  expeditions,  &c.  My  water- 
proof coat  had  been  lost  by  my  boy  Muftah — on  the  way  up 
to  Leopoldville  ;  and  I  often  felt  the  want  of  it  bitterly.  Only 
Mr.  Stanley  and  myself  brought  bedsteads,  the  others  frequently 
had  good  reason  to  lament  their  absence.  On  various  occasions 
we  were  tempted  to  pitch  our  tents  in  the  comparatively  clear 
space  afforded  by  a  hollow,  or  the  dried-up  bed  of  a  shallow 
stream;  and  when  the  tropical  rain  descended  in  torrents — some- 
times not  where  we  had  encamped,  but  at  a  considerable  dis- 
tance higher  up — a  flood  would  rapidly  appear,  and  fill  the 
whole  space  which,  on  the  previous  afternoon,  we  had  thought 
so  desirable  for  our  encampment.  We  were  frequently  inundated 
in  this  Avay,  not  only  with  water,  but  with  floating  logs,  and 
other  rubbish,  which  were  swept  down  upon  us  bv  the  torrent. 

2  K 


498  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

On  such,  occasions  we  have  bad  to  stand  in  two  and  three  feet 
of  water  in  the  morning,  and  fish  for  our  boots,  compasses, 
watches,  &c.,  &c.,  and  the  officer  in  advance  has  had  to  move 
off  at  daybreak,  without  having  been  able  to  recover  all  his 
goods ;  when  he  would  request  the  officer  on  rear-guard  to 
try  and  fish  up  for  him,  before  leaving,  a  compass,  or  boot,  or 
iiny  such  article  which  still  remained  submerged.  It  was  only 
when  we  reached  a  clearing  that  drying  our  clothes  in  the 
;sun  became  possible.  Very  frequently  the  hindmost  end  of 
the  Expedition  could  not  get  into  camp  for  the  night ;  when 
officers  and  men  were  obliged  to  lie  on  the  ground  (around 
fires),  without  covering  of  any  kind,  till  morning. 

When  the  men  reached  camp  they  commenced  to  make 
their  huts,  arranged  in  a  circle  around  our  tents — the  latter 
forming  the  centre.  The  huts  were  open  towards  our  tents, 
and  the  backs  Avere  made — as  close  and  compact  as  could 
be  managed — towards  the  forest,  so  as  to  protect  the  inmates 
from  the  arrows  of  unfriendly  natives,  and  the  attacks  of  wild 
animals.  They  always  f)laced  their  rifles  by  their  sides  when 
lying  down,  so  that  they  could  jump  ujj  and  seize  them  for 
:  self-defence  at  a  moment's  notice.  On  reaching  the  plains 
wood  was  not  easily  available,  so  that  our  men,  instead  of 
■constructing  huts  of  rectangular  outline,  as  they  used  to  do  in 
the  forest,  found  it  convenient  to  adopt  the  beehive  shape. 
'They  stuck  canes  or  sajjlings  in  the  ground,  arranged  to 
•enclose  a  circle  of  seven  or  eight  feet  in  diameter ;  tied  them 
at  the  top,  thatched  them  with  grass,  and  placed  some  logs  or 
swinging  stones  on  the  latter,  so  as  to  prevent  it  from  being- 
blown  away  by  the  wind. 

One  of  the  most  dreaded  dangers  of  the  forest  was  the 
hornet's  nest.  The  stings  of  these  vicious  insects  are  horribly 
painful.  Their  nests  are  made  of  earth,  and  usually  over- 
hanging a  river;  whenever  such  an  object  came  in  sight,  the 
men  always  passed  the  word  doo,  doo,  and  if  we  succeeded 
in  getting  past  in  quiet  and  silence,  there  might  be  no 
molestation,  but  on  the  occurrence  of  any  noise,  the  veno- 
mous pests  swarmed  out  in  myriads,  swooped  down  upon 
the  devoted  members  of  our  column,  and  stung  them  into 
a  frenzy  of  agony  and  fear.  The  men  dashed  away  their 
loads  so  as  to  enable  them  to  escape  as  fast  as  possible  from 
the  dreaded  enemy,  and  it  always  required  some  hours  to 
reunite  the  column  after  the  occurrence  of  such  a  visitation. 


1889.]  SUMMABY  OF  MY  PROFESSIONAL  EXPERIENCES.  499 

Our  European  provisions  counted  for  very  little  from  the 
time  we  entered  the  Congo  ;  we  had  some  rice,  which  was 
finished  on  the  16th  of  August,  18S7  ;  and  some  ship  biscuits, 
which  had  been  exhausted  during  the  previous  month ;  we  had 
a  small  quantity  of  beef  tea;  also  a  very  little  arrowroot, 
tapioca,  sago,  and  some  tea  and  coffee.  The  quantities  of 
each  of  these  were  so  trifling  as  not  to  be  worth  considering. 
Our  food  throughout  was  the  same  as  that  of  the  men  ;  and 
each  officer  was  with  his  company  Avherever  it  went.  Before 
the  times  became  very  bad,  we  had  an  occasional  goat — one 
every  fourth  or  fifth  day,  or  so — and  there  was  occasionally  a 
little  Indian  corn,  but  the  staple  articles  of  diet  of  the  whole 
Expedition  were  bananas  and  manioc,  and  on  these  we  may  be 
said  to  have  existed  for  over  two  years.  When  we  reached 
the  plains  we  were  able  to  procure  meat;  and  when  Mr. 
Stanley  returned  from  Yambuya  (in  December,  1888),  he 
brought  some  extras  with  him,  in  the  shape  of  European  pro- 
visions, saved  from  the  wreck  of  the  rear  column. 

In  the  forest,  and  also  on  the  plains,  the  whites  suffered 
very  much  from  fever,  probably  150  attacks  each.  I  always 
insisted  on  our  boys  boiling  the  water  which  we  used  for 
drink,  bat  found  great  difficulty  in  having  my  orders  carried 
out.  I  always  found  Mr.  Stanley  very  anxious  and  willing  to 
have  my  suggestions  fully  adopted — in  the  prevention  and  treat- 
ment of  fevers,  in  questions  of  general  sanitation,  &c.,  &c.  He 
constantly  gave  me  valuable  advice,  derived  from  his  own  long 
experience  of  African  life,  and  invariably  did  his  best  to  assist 
me  in  carrying  out  my  plans  and  arrangements.  He  never,  on 
any  occasion,  blocked  my  wish  by  the  interposition  of  relentless 
red-tape,  the  furnishing  of  useless  and  bewildering  documents, 
or  the  intervention  of  despotic  regulations. 

Durino-  our  marches  in  the  forest,  at  least  half  a  dozen  of 
our  men  came  to  me  every  day  to  have  parasites  removed  from 
the  nostrils,  which  clung  tenaciously  to  the  mucous  membrane. 
They  resembled  sheep-ticks  in  size  and  shape.  I  suffered  myself 
from  the  attacks  of  these  pests,  and  found  them  very  annoying. 
T'hey  had  to  be  removed  with  forceps,  and  were  always  filled 
with  blood,  sucked  from  the  individual  whose  mucous 
membrane  they  had  been  draining. 

We  also  suffered  from  the  presence  of  very  small  crab-like 
ticks,  which  usually  attached  themselves  to  the  skin  of  the 

2  K  2 


500  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFBICJA.         [1880. 

legs,  into  which  they  succeeded  in  partially  burying  them- 
selves, so  that  they  were  very  difficult  to  remove.  We  picked 
them  out  with  the  point  of  a  knife,  and  found  it  troublesome 
to  dislodge  them  even  in  this  way. 

The  ordinary  body-louse  was  a  constant  attendant  on  the 
Expedition,  especially  during  our  forest  life. 

The  men  frequently  got  jiggers  in  their  feet,  which  gave  them 
great  annoyance  during  the  early  part  of  their  forest  march. 
They  disappeared  after  we  had  passed  Ugarrowwa's  settlement. 
After  July,  1887,  food  became  scarce.     The  men  had  a  con- 
stant repetition  of  two  or  three  days'  deprivation  of  all  food, 
excepting  the  leaves,  roots,  fungi,  and  forest  fruits  which  they 
might  chance  to  pick  up.     Still,  even  in  the  most  trying  days 
of  their  starvation,  our  poor  Zanzibaris  were  always  willing  t" 
share  a  half  of  what  they  had  picked  up  with  their  white  officers.. 
My  next  important  professional  experience  was  the  arrow- 
wound  which  Stairs  received  at  Avisibba,  the  history  of  which 
has  been  fully  detailed  in  its  place.     The  arrow-head,  which 
broke  off  when  he  attempted  to  remove  it  with  his  own  hands. 
made  as  it  was  of  brittle,  seasoned  wood,  and  grooved  spirall\ 
at  a  short  distance  from  the  point,  remained  imbedded  in  the 
wound  for   fifteen  months.      At  first  I  would  not  make  an 
exploratory  incision  to  expose  its  position,  as  I  considered 
such   a   procedure   highly  dangerous,  and  likely  to  do  irre- 
mediable mischief,  having  regard  to  the  seat  of  the  wound, 
I  then  lost  sight  of  my  patient  for  some  time,  and  on  meeting 
him  again  I  found  that  the  local  uneasiness  had  diminished,, 
and   that   there   was   no   serious   constitutional    disturbance. 
Accordingly,  I  felt  confident  that   the   foreign   body   would 
become    encapsuled  at  the  deep  part  of  the  wound  by  the 
inflammatory  thickening,  and,  with  a  certain  degree  of  caution 
in  the  movements  of  the  trunk,  would  become  less  and  less 
dangerous,    while   the   broken    end,   towards    the    cutaneous- 
surface,  would  become  gradually  loosened  by  the  discharge^ 
and,  after  some  time,  easily  removable.     The  event  justified 
my  expectations.     lie  suffered  wondcn-fully  little  inconvenience 
from  the  presence  of  the  arrow-head  after  the  first  three  weeks- 
or  so,  and  his  natural  pluck  and  energy  were  so  great,  that  he 
would  never  shirk  what  he  considered  to  be  his  duty.     He 
always  worked  with  his  Company  as  if  nothing  was  the  matter  ; 
he  walked  over  1000  miles  with  that  arrow-head  imbedded  in 


RROUP   OF    RELICS. 


1.  Decoration  worn' on  the  Congo,  made  from 
teetb  and  cowries. 

2.  Silver  chain  made  from  dollars  by  Emin 
Pasha's  people. 

3.  Iron  axe-head  made  by  natives  in  the  forest 
for  felling  trees. 

4.  Indiarubber  tube  from  filter,  through  which 
Stanley  received  his  nourishment  while  sick 
at  Fort  Bodo. 

5.  Buttons  and  necklace  made  from  shells 
found  on  the  shore  of  Albert  Nyanza,  used 
by  Emin  Pasha's  people. 

6.  The  first  copper  we  met  with,  found  at 
Mugwye's  village,  July  31st,  188Y. 

7.  Knives  made  by  Dwarfs  for  peeling  bananas. 

s.  Five  ivory  hair-pins  used  by  women  in 
Kmin  Pasha's  province. 


Decoration  made  by  Gordon  for  his  faithfuls 

at  Khartoum. 

Six  iron  arrow-heads  removed  from  Nubian, 

Christmas,  1888. 

Gordon's  paper  money  issued  by  him  during 

siege  of  Khartoum. 

Piece  of  Times  which  was  wrapped  round 

Emin's  first  letter,  vide  p.  216. 

Remington    ammunition    used     by    Emin 

Pasha's  soldiers  against  the  Mahdl's  forces. 

Fibre  bangles  used  by  the  Dwarfs. 

Ivory  bangle,  a  parting  souvenir  from  a 

grateful  Pigmy,  vide  page  464. 

My  compass. 

Emin  Pasha's  letter  received  since  I  arrived 

home  from  Africa. 

Flint  to  light  a  fire,  &c. 


GROUP   OP   RELICS. 


188il.]  SUMMABY  OF  MY  PROFESSIONAL  EXPERIENCES.  501 

his  tissues,  and  in  contact  with  the  naked  rib  and  pleura, 
including-  the  memorahle  (and  gloomy)  march  to  and  from 
Ugarrowwa's  camp.  I  had  preserved  my  last  dose  of  chloro- 
form, with  the  intention  of  utilising  it  at  a  convenient  season 
for  the  operation  of  extraction ;  but  it  was  not  necessary  when 
ii  quiet  time  occurred  at  Fort  Bodo,  as  the  arrow-head  had 
become  sufficiently  loosened  by  the  discharge  to  allow  its 
removal  without  the  use  of  an  ana3sthetic.  All  the  others 
who  were  wounded  at  the  same  engagement  died.  I  am  happy 
to  say  that  my  dear  friend  is  as  well  as  if  nothing  of  the 
kind  had  happened  to  him.  I  may  mention  that,  in  grateful 
recognition  of  the  small  attention  I  paid  him.  Stairs,  after  his 
return,  brought  his  case  under  the  notice  _of  the  military 
^xuthorities  by  writing  to  them  a  full  account  of  its  history. 
The  other  victims  of  the  poisoned  arrow-wounds  all  sank  witli 
tetanic  symptoms,  Avhich  I  was  at  first  disposed  to  regard  as 
traumatic;  but,  as  I  afterwards  learned  by  increased  ex- 
perience, were  merely  symptomatic  of  the  action  of  the  poison. 

Another  important  case  I  had  to  treat  was  that  of  Juma, 
whose  bullet-wound  (and  amputation  of  foot  that  followed) 
Lave  been  described  under  its  date — 27th  August,  1887. 
This  man,  being  unable  to  march  with  the  rest,  was  left 
behind  at  Ugarrowwa's,  and  having  afterwards  recovered 
health  and  strength,  arrived  at  Zanzibar  months  before  I  did, 
and  was  one  of  a  number  of  grateful  patients  who  came  to 
meet  me  when  I  was  brought  there  in  December,  1889 ;  in- 
valided by  htematuric  fever,  which  was  contracted  while  nursing 
Emin  Pasha  after  his  accident  at  Bagamoyo. 

When  we  reached  the  camp  at  Ugarrowwa's  Station  on  the 
17th  of  September,  1887,  all  our  Somalis  were  reduced  to  living 
skeletons,  whoso  bones  were  held  together  by  skin  and  ligament 
— a  deplorable  sight  to  see.  As  these,  and  a  good  many  of  the 
Zanzibaris  and  Nubians,  were  totally  helpless ;  and  as  we  were 
unable  to  drag  them  along  with  us  on  the  march,  Mr.  Stanley 
made  arrangements  with  Ugarrowwa's  people  to  retain  fifty- 
six  of  the  worst  cases  at  their  camp ;  to  give  them  a  chance, 
by  rest  and  better  food,  of  recovering  some  of  their  lost 
strength.  Many  of  these  poor  creatures  had  no  defined 
■disease,  but  were  simply  exhausted  by  the  effects  of  starva- 
tion and  exposure.  Some  had  ulcers ;  some  had  cardiac 
affections  ;  a  greater  number  liad  pulmonary  disease ;  and  a 


502  EXPEBIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

few  were  wasted  hj  chronic  dysentery.  Of  these  fifty-six 
men,  but  twenty  were  found  alive  when  relieved  six  months 
afterwards.  All  the  Somalis  had  succumbed,  and  only  four- 
teen of  the  whole  number  reached  Fort  Bodo  with  Stairs. 

As  we  pursued  our  course  after  leaving  Ugarrowwa's,  the 
j)rincipal  medical  feature  of  the  Expedition  was  the  terrible 
increase  of  the  dreadful  gangrenous  ulcers,  especially  of  the 
feet  and  legs,  to  whose  existence  I  have  so  often  had  occasion 
to  refer.  Their  increase,  in  number  and  virulence,  was  in  direct 
proportion  to  the  !•  privation  which  our  men  had  to  undergo. 

One  of  the  most  harrowing  scenes  I  can  ever  expect  to  see 
in  this  world  was  our  taking  leave  of  Nelson  as  we  moved 
off  from  his  starvation  camp;  a  still  more  dreadful  shock, 
if  possible,  was  given  me  twenty-eight  days  afterwards,  when 
I  saw  his  wasted  iigure  tottering  into  the  Manyuema  camp 
at  Ipoto.  The  feelings  which  prevailed  in  our  breasts  when 
he  and  I  were'left  behind  there  in  the  hands  of  those  cannibal 
thieves  I  would  rather  not  recall.  They  are  not,  however 
likely  to  be  forgotten  by  either  of  us. 

VA^hen  Mr.  Stanley  was  leaving  Ipoto,  en  route  for  the  Albert 
Nyanza,  he  left  with  me  for  Ismailia,  the  Manyuema  chief,  his. 
gold  watch  and  chain  as  a  pledge  to  pay  for  the  services  of 
guides,  who  Avere  to  lead  him  out  of  the  Manyuema  territory ; 
as  he  had  then  no  shells,  beads,  brass  rods,  cloth,  or  other  form 
of  African  current  money,  Avherewith  to  conclude  the  bargain. 
When  he  returned^  to  Ipoto,  on  his  way  to  Yambuya  to  bring 
up  the  rear  column  (20th  June,  1888),  eight  months  after,  he 
redeemed  this  watch  from  the  IManyuema  demons.  When  we 
had  all  returned  to  England  Mr.  Stanley  presented  me  with 
the  watch  and  chain,  the  former  bearing  the  following  in- 
scription : — 

TO 

SURGEON   T.   II.    rAIlKE 

AS   A    iSOUVENIR   OF 
FORT     nODO     AND     IPOTO, 

1887  AND  1888, 

FKOM    HIS   FRIEND 
II  E  N  11  Y     M.     S  T  A  N  I.  E  Y. 

The  date  of  the  receipt  of  this  gift  marks 
one    of    the    brightest    hours    of    my    life. 
There    is    ik.   present   which  I  could   have   valued   more,  or 


1889.]  EMIN  PASHA'S  ACCIDENT.  503 

could  have  felt  more  gratified  by  receiving.     I  always  wear 
this  watch  and  chain  now. 

On  the  occasion  of  leaving  Ipoto,  with  the  relief  party  under 
Stairs,  an  incident  occurred  which  showed  forcibly  the  loyalty 
of  our  Zanzibaris.  Seven  of  the  poor  creatures  were  absent 
at  the  time  of  Stairs'  arrival ;  they  were  searching  through 
the  forest  for  leaves  and  insects,  to  help  them  to  prolong  their 
wretched  existence.  They  did  not  return ;  and  as  nobody 
knew  what  had  become  of  them,  we  were  obliged  to  go  with- 
out them,  \^'hen  they  returned  to  the  Manyuema  camp  and 
found  that  we  had  gone,  they  immediately  started  after  us,, 
and  dragged  their  weakly  limbs,  as  best  they  could,  through 
a  very  hostile  country,  till  they  reached  Fort  Bodo  on  the- 
3rd  of  March.  They  had  but  one  rifle  among  them;  and 
they  were  in  a  dreadful  state  of  debility,  as  it  took  them 
a  full  year  afterwards  to  recover  health  and  strength.  I 
consider  that  this  march  indicated  all  the  elements  of 
true  heroism  and  pluck,  as  well  as  extreme  loyalty  to 
their  white  leaders.  Muftah,  my  gun-bearer,  was  one  of  their 
number. 

Having  crossed  the  African  continent  from  west  to  east,  we 
arrived-  at  Bagamoyo  on  the  4th  of  December,  1889.  The 
sight  of  the  broad  expanse  of  ocean  called  forth  shrieks  of  joy 
from  our  impulsive  Zanzibaris,  which  proved  sufficiently  in- 
fectious to  be  taken  up  even  by  the  stolid,  lazy,  good-for- 
nothing  Egyptians.  My  own  eyes  were  not  in  good  enough 
condition  to  enjoy  the  sight  so  much  as  I  could  have  wished,, 
but  I  felt,  perhaps,  nearly  as  much  as  any.  The  bitterness  of 
death  was  past,  our  slow  and  weary  pilgrimage  had  drawn  to  a. 
close ! 

The  local  magnates,  vice-consuls,  &c.  (English,  Germans^ 
and  Italians),  welcomed  us,  and  the  Germans  entertained  us  in 
the  evening ;  with  the  object  of  doing  honour  to  the  long-lost 
Pasha  and  the  hero  of  his  rescue.  A  brilliant  congratulatory 
speech  was  made  by  Major  Wissman,  to  which  Mr.  Stanley 
replied ;  and  Emin  Pasha  expressed  his  grateful  appreciation 
of  what  had  been  done  for  him  by  Mr.  Stanley  and  ourselves, 
as  the  representatives  of  British  philanthropy,  in  an  eloquent 
and  highly-finished  discourse.  All  went  merry  as  a  marriage 
bell.  After  this  speech  he  walked  round  to  the  back  of  my 
chair,  full  of  spirits,  spoke  something  in  my  ear,  and  strolled. 


504  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

evidently  in  an  absent  and  contemplative  mood,  tbrongh  a 
doorway  towards  the  window  of  an  adjoining  room. 

He  had  occupied  one-storey  dwellings  only,  for  a  period  of 
fourteen  years  :  it  was  not  a  time  for  sudden  inquiry,  or  sus- 
picion of  novelty;  and,  being  excessively  short-sighted,  he 
simply  walked  through  and  was  precipitated  to  the  ground,  a 
distance  of  about  eighteen  or  twenty  feet.  He  was  at  once 
conveyed  to  the  German  Hospital,  where  Dr.  Brehme  and 
myself  attended  to  him.  The  fall  produced  immediate 
unconsciousness.  A  couple  of  his  ribs  were  fractured.  His 
eyes  were  bruised,  and  the  lids  very  much  swollen,  as  he  had 
fallen  partly  on  his  face ;  and  there  was  extensive  subcon- 
junctival, as  well  as  subcutaneous,  ecchymosis.  Blood  oozed 
from  both  ears ;  so  that,  although  I  would  fain  think  other- 
wise, there  was  much  to  say  in  favour  of  the  diagnosis  of 
extensive  fracture  of  the  base  of  the  skull.  He  remained 
perfectly  comatose  for  a  time  of  nearly  five  hours,  and  the 
first  word  which  he  uttered,  on  partial  recovery  of  the  power 
of  articulation,  was  "  Parke."  I  was,  naturally,  a  good  deal 
affected  by  this  indication  of  the  impression  I  had  made  on 
my  poor  patient's  feelings,  and  felt  myself  bound  to  him  by  a 
new  tie  of  friendship. 

On  the  next  day  (Dec.  5)  he  was  conscious,  and  able  to  com- 
plain of  much  soreness,  all  over  the  greater  part  of  the  trunk 
^nd  limbs,  from  the  contusions  which  he  had  received  in  his 
fall.  So  he  could  not  attempt  to  make  any  voluntary  effort. 
The  oozing,  now  of  rather  serous  character,  continued  from 
both  ears.  I  collected  a  little  of  the  fluid,  and  found,  on 
testing  with  silver  nitrate,  that  it  was  rich  in  chlorides. 

There  was  a  great  deal  of  swelling,  and  subcutaneous  ecchy- 
mosis, of  the  eyelids  and  surrounding  parts  of  the  face ;  so 
much  so  that  examination  of  the  eyes  was  difficult,  and.  not 
very  satisfactory.  The  pupils  did  not,  however,  display  any 
marked  inequality;  and  they  responded  to  light,  although 
with  sluggish  movement. 

On  the  6th  he  was  still  better,  and  appeared  perfectly 
conscious  ;  still  the  thin,  blood-stained  fluid  continued  to  ooze 
from  both  ears.  I  kept  him  perfectly  quiet,  and  applied  cold 
lotions  continuously  to  the  bruised  parts  of  the  head  and 
face. 

Next   day  (])ee.  7tli)    lie  rnpidly  dovidopr'd    broncho-pneu- 


1889.]  EMJX  FASIL'VS   CONDITION.  505 

inouic  symptoms,  which  prostrated  him  very  quickly.  He 
i\ow  required  very  carei'ul  uursiug.  The  temperature  went  up  ; 
and  there  were  the  usual  accompaniments  of  rapid  respiration, 
quickened  pulse,  furred  tongue,  dry  skin,  &c.,  &c.  On  the  8th, 
he  complained  of  distress  in  breathing,  and  great  restless- 
ness. 

On  the  9th,  he  still  continued  dangerously  ill ;  and  his 
symptoms  were  aggravated  on  hearing  that  his  boxes  had 
been  opened,  and  their  contents  explored.  It  Avas  distress- 
ing to  see  his  agitation  when  he  was  told  of  the  liberty 
which  had  been  taken  with  his  things ;  and  he  said  bitterly, 
"  Did  they  think  I  was  going  to  die  ?  "  He  requested  me  to 
collect  his  boxes — five  in  number — and  his  other  loads,  of 
which  there  were  a  few  more ;  and  bring  them  to  him,  and 
have  them  placed  under  his  bed.  Accordingly,  I  applied  for 
them  to  the  commandant.  Captain  Richalman,  who  handed 
them  over  to  me,  with  their  keys.  The  poor  Pasha  seemed 
furious  at  the  idea  of  the  Germans  having  opened  his  boxes, 
without  having  thought  it  necessary  to  trouble  themselves 
about  obtaining  his  leave,  or  speaking  to  me  on  the  subject 
■ — which,  he  said,  would  have  satisfied  him,  as  I  had  been  his 
compa^iion  on  the  march.  I  never  heard  from  the  Pasha  if 
anything  was  abstracted  from  them. 

I  gave  Herr  Schmidt  a  letter  for  Mr.  Stanley,  who  was  now 
at  Zanzibar ;  having  left  Bagamoyo  on  the  6th,  with  the 
entire  Expedition,  excepting  about  twenty  people :  these  were 
the  Pasha's  own  servants,  their  wives  and  families,  the  Pasha's 
daughter  Ferida,  and  her  nurse  (the  wife  of  the  engineer, 
Mohammed  Effendi),  who  was  most  attentive  to  her  sick  master. 
Two  German  nurses,  "Auguste"  and  "Helene,"  belonging  to 
the  hospital  were  unremitting  in  their  kind  attention. 

The  night  of  the  10th  was  a  bad  and  restless  one,  but  the 
Pasha  was,  on  the  whole,  a  little  better.  On  the  11th,  this 
improvement  continued ;  but,  curiously  enough,  the  blood- 
stained discharge  from  the  ears  still  continued  to  flow 
copiously.  It  did  not  disappear  till  about  the  twentieth  day 
after  the  original  injury.  However,  the  Pasha  developed  no 
other  serious  complication  after  this  date,  but  improved 
gradually.  Dr.  Brehme  looked  after  him  with  me,  and  Dr. 
Latsche,  of  the  German  Navy,  also  gave  his  opinion. 

After  three  weeks  attendanc;e  on  Emin  Pasha,  I  was  mvself 


506  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

suddenly  struck  down  with  an  attack  of  malarial  (hrematuric) 
fever,  which  rapidly  assumed  an  extremely  malignant  type.  I 
was  conveyed  to  the  French  Hospital  at  Zanzibar,  where  I  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  my  kind  friend.  Dr.  Charlesworth,  to 
whose  skill  and  attention,  together  with  that  of  the  French 
nursing  sisters,  Antoine  and  the  Reverend  Mother  Superior — 
clever,  bright,  and  cheery  as  they  were  throughout  the  whole 
course  of  my  illness — I  feel  that,  so  far  as  human  skill  can 
avail,  I  owe  my  present  existence  among  mortals. 

Dr.  Charlesworth  completely  lost  all  hopes  of  my  recovery, 
and  on  one  night,  when  I  was  at  the  worst,  he  summoned 
3Ir.  Stanley,  and  my  brother  officers  of  the  Expedition,  to  see 
me  breathe  my  last.  Prostrate  as  I  was,  I  was  conscious  of 
their  presence ;  and  I  have  a  vivid  recollection  of  ]Mr. 
Stanley's  going  over  to  the  window  and  opening  it,  after  he 
had  been  in  the  room  for  a  couple  of  minutes.  He  is  always 
ready  to  make  a  suggestion,  and  I  felt  deeply  grateful  for 
his  action  on  that  occasion,  although  I  was  too  weak  and 
apathetic  to  have  any  feelings  on  the  subject  before  it  was 
done.  I  was  far  too  much  prostrated  by  this  attack  to  make 
any  attempt  to  analyse  or  to  record  the  course  of  my  own 
symptouis.  My  clearest  remembrances  on  the  subject  are 
connected  with  the  fact  that,  during  this  illness,  I  practically 
lived  upon  iced  cliampagne  ;  and  my  sense  of  taste  was  never 
so  completely  benumbed  as  to  prevent  me  from  appreciating 
it.  After  three  long  years  of  indulgence  in  the  sipping  of 
stagnant,  fetid,  tepid,  typho-malarial  African  water,  the  pro- 
motion to  the  enjoyment  of  such  nectar  as  this  was  almost 
worth  the  illness  which  confined  me  to  its  use.  To  the  leader 
of  our  Expedition,  and  to  my  brother  officers,  I  owe  a  life-long 
debt  of  gratitude  for  their  kind  attention  and  assiduous  care 
during  my  worst  hours  of  sickness.  To  Sir  Ch.  Euan-Snjitli, 
K.C.J3.,  and  Lady  Euan-Smith,  I  also  feel  that  I  can  never 
return  sufficient  thanks  for  the  kindness  which  I  received  at 
their  hands. 

When  my  leader  and  companions  were  leaving  Zanzibar  for 
Cairo,  I  would  not  be  left  behind  ;  so  that,  as  I  was  quite 
unable  to  stand,  I  was  carried  from  the  hospital  to  the  steamer 
by  a  detachment  of  blue-jackets,  who  were  kindly  detailed  for 
that  purpose  by  Captain  Brackonbury,  R.N.,  in  charge  of 
Surgeon  Beatty,  R.N.     I  was  still  very  poorly,  indeed ;  and 


1889.]  BETUBN  HOME.  507 

never  slept  more  than  about  one  hour  or  so  each  night  till  I 
arrived  at  Cairo,  on  the  16th  of  January,  1890. 

When  I  was  parting  with  Emin  Pasha,  he  said  that  he 
would  certainly  follow  in  the  next  steamer  (about  a  week 
later)  to  Cairo ;  and  I  feel  quite  convinced  that  he  then 
intended  to  do  so.  He  was  quite  well  able  to  travel ;  and  I 
feel  certain  that  if  I  had  not  sickened  at  the  time  he  would 
have  come  with  us  then.  He  was  anxious  to  have  the 
cataracts  removed  from  his  eyes,  as  his  left  eye  was  almost 
blind  ;  and  it  was  quite  arranged  that  I  was  to  assist  at  the 
operation.  But  all  that  was  changed,  and  I  have  had  but  one 
letter  from  him  since. 

During  my  stay  at  Cairo,  rest,  good  food,  good  air,  the 
absence  of  any  pressing  anxieties,  and  the  presence  of  very 
many  kind  friends  and  acquaintances  assisted  in  my  gradual 
return  to  strength. 

This  attack  (of  haimaturic  fever)  is  the  only  one  of  really 
deadly  nature  which  I  have  suffered  during  my  comparatively 
prolonged  experience  of  African  life.  My  senses  were  so 
benumbed — as  is  usually  the  case  in  fevers  of  a  very  malignant 
type — that  I  did  not  feel  very  acutely  any  of  my  own  symp- 
toms at  the  time,  and,  accordingly,  my  personal  recollections  of 
them  are  by  no  means  vividly  impressed  on  my  memory.  It 
must,  however,  be  recognised  as  one  of  the  most  formidable  of 
the  enemies  which  the  traveller  may  be  called  upon  to  en- 
counter when  he  dives  into  the  depths  of  the  Dark  Continent. 
Still,  when  occurring  in  a  person  Avhose  physique  has  not 
already  been  lowered  very  much  by  prolonged  exposure  and 
liardships,  and  who  has  been  guarded  by  the  usual  remedies 
employed  in  the  prophylaxis  of  malaria,  I  have  no  reason  to 
think  that  the  prognosis  must  be  regarded  as  by  any  means  so 
grave.  The  sad  history  of  the  collateral  circumstances  explains 
only  too  clearly  how  it  was  that  my  poor  friend  Jameson  was 
so  well  prepared  to  fall  a  victim  to  its  attack.  In  my  own 
case,  the  history  of  our  expedition,  and  the  fact  that  our  stock 
of  quinine  had  fallen  short  in  the  latter  months,  sufficiently 
explain  how  it  was  that  the  disease  found  me  in  so  vulnerable 
a  condition. 

In  my  former  attack  of  hajmaturic  fever  (at  Fort  Bodo) 
there  was,  in  addition  to  the  high  fever,  with  comparatively 
slight   intermissions,    hepatic    tenderness    and    enlargement. 


508  EXPEIilEXCES  IX   EQUATOniAL   AFLICA.         [1889. 

copious  and  long-repeated  vomitino-  of  viscid,  bile-stained 
fluid,  very  pronounced  jaundice,  and  a  large  proportion  of 
both  blood  and  bile  in  the  renal  secretion.  In  the  second, 
and  more  severe,  attack  (at  Zanzibar),  all  the  above-named 
symptoms  were  present  in  a  still  more  accentuated  form,  with 
the  single  excejjtion  of  the  presence  of  the  characteristic 
biliary  constituents  in  the  renal  secretion.  This  occurrence  of 
jaundice,  with  yellow  vomit  and  bile-stained  evacuations,  but 
ivitliout  icteric  renal  secretion,  has  also  been  recorded  by  other 
observers,  and  its  explanation  has  given  rise  to  a  good 
deal  of  discussion  among  scientific  pathologists.  It  is  un- 
doubtedly rare  to  find  an  excess  of  bile  discharged  by  the 
alimentary  canal  and  jaundicing  of  the  tissues  existing  at  the 
same  time,  without  the  appearance  of  a  corresponding  propor- 
tion of  bile-pigment  from  the  kidneys.  The  staining  of  the 
tissues  cannot  in  such  cases  be  explained  in  the  same  way  as 
that  occurring  in  all  the  more  usual  varieties  of  jaundice — with 
or  without  obstruction — whether,  with  Budd  and  Harley,  we 
admit  the  pre-exist ence  of  the  bile-pigment  in  the  blood,  from 
which  it  is  merely  separated  by  the  liver  ;  or,  with  Frerichs 
and  Lehmann,  totally  deny  this  assumption.  Accordingly, 
I  am  disposed  to  accept— as  the  only  reasonable  way  of 
accounting  for  this  remarkable  pathological  anomaly- — the 
suggestion  offered  by  Surgeon-3Iajor  Firth,  Army  Medical 
Staff,  that  the  discolouration  of  the  tissues  in  such  cases  is  due 
to  alteration  of  disintegrated  blood-pigment,  and  therefore 
comjiarable  to  the  well-known  staining  which  occurs  during 
the  absorption  of  extra vasated  blood  from  an  ordinary  bruise. 
A  special  organism  has  been  described  by  3Iarchiafava  and 
Celli  in  the  blood  of  malarial  patielits,  which  resides  during  its 
embryological  stage  in  the  red  blood-corpuscles,  the  structure 
of  which  it  gradually  destroys;  setting  free  the  colouring 
matter  (hfcmoglobin)  in  the  form  of  minute,  dark,  pigment 
granules,  which  are  then  found  floating  about  in  the  plasma, 
or  are  swallowed  up  by  the  colourless  corpuscles  (leucocytes). 
These  granules  easily  escape  through  the  capillary  walls — 
cither  with  the  plasma  itself,  or  imbedded  in  the  leucocytes — in 
the  ordinary  process  of  diapedesis.  Their  subsequent  chemical 
<-hanges  satisfactorily  account  for  the  discolouration  of  the 
various  tissues  which  takes  place  in  those  extreme  cases  where 
an  enormous  a:r.ount  of  the  organisms  in  question  may  be 


1889.]  AnniVAL    AT   CAIBO.  509 

supposed  to  be  present  in  the  circulation.  This  hypothesis 
also  accounts  for  the  hoematinuria  (or  hfemogiobinuria),  and 
is  the  only  one  I  know  of  which  will  reconcile  all  the 
phenomena. 

From  the  date  of  reaching  Cairo,  the  only  thing  whicli 
tended  to  retard  my  convalescence  was  the  over-pressure  of 
the  more  than  cordial  hospitality  which  we  received  then\ 
We  were  welcomed  by  representatives  of  every  civilised 
nation,  and  our  leader  and  his  officers  were  all  made  to  feel 
that  our  long  exile  in  the  depths  of  Africa  had  by  no  means 
caused  us  to  be  forgotten  by  those  whose  sympathies  were  best 
worth  preserving. 

And  now  my  long-drawn  narrative  narrows  to  its  close.  I 
have  given,  in  a  plain,  unvarnished  tale,  the  principal  im- 
pressions made  npon  me,  at  their  respective  dates,  by  what  I 
saw,  heard,  and  felt  during  the  quest  and  rescue  of  the  lost 
governor  of  the  Equatorial  province.  I  hope,  with  some 
degree  of  confidence,  that  the  record  so  given  will  help  to- 
demonstrate  to  the  impartial  critic  that,  taking  into  account 
the  privations  and  hardships  to  which  we  were  subjected,  there- 
were  as  few  lapses  from  duty  during  the  conduct  of  the  Emin 
Pariha  Belief  Expedition  as  have  occurred  in  that  of  any  other 
historic  task  of  corresponding  difficulty  and  magnitude.  Of 
my  leader  and  brother  officers  I  retain  no  recollections  but  the 
warmest  ones  of  kindliness  and  gratitude.  My  ill-fiited  friend 
Major  Barttelot,  who  was  the  direct  agent  of  my  introduction 
to  the  Expedition,  was  one  of  my  brightest  and  jjleasantest 
companions  during  the  early  months  of  its  course.  Althougli 
possessed  of  a  rather  ungovernable  temper,  he  was  always  a 
very  jolly  comrade,  when  not  depressed  or  irritated  by  the 
effects  of  sickness  or  worry  ;  and  the  only  thing  which  tended 
to  neutralise  his  usefulness  in  the  post  assigned  to  him  by 
Mr.  Stanley  was  his  pronounced  antipathy  to  the  black  man- 
Had  he  been  more  fortunate  in  his  choice,  and  not  joined  our 
Expedition,  his  energy  and  undoubted  bravery  would  probably 
have  secured  for  him  a  brilliant  soldierly  career.  The  only 
other  white  officer  who  lost  his  life  on  the  Expedition,  Mr.. 
Jameson,  was  always  quiet,  most  gentle,  cheerful,  and  amiable 
to  a  degree.  He  was  continually  referring  in  the  most 
affectionate  terms  to  his  home  ties,  and  saying  to  each  of  us 
what   a  pleasant   time   we   would   have  in  his  villa  on  the 


510  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1880. 

Thames,  ^vllen  the  trials  and  troubles  of  the  rescue  of  Emin 
Pasha  were  all  well  over.  I  entirely  disbelieve  that  James 
Sligo  Jameson  was  capable  of  any  act  of  deliberate  cruelty. 
Although  his  own  letter  is  compromising,  yet  its  candour  is 
significant.  It  is  a  maxim  to  speak  only  well  of  the  dead, 
and  to  leave  untouched  all  that  is  unpleasant  concerning 
them  ;  but  of  Jameson  1  never  knew  but  good. 

[Extract  from  an  official  Eeport  of  the  Commandant  of 
Bangala,  received  at  Head  Quarters,  ]5russels. 

The  date  of  Mr.  Jameson's  death  is  August  17,  1888.  Mr. 
Jameson  had  arrived  in  a  canoe  on  the  16th  of  August,  in  a 
state  of  complete  exhaustion.  According  to  his  men  he 
suffered  for  eight  days  from  a  hoemorrhagic  fever  and  had 
taken  neither  food  nor  medicine  since  leaving  the  Lumami 
Biver.  On  his  arrival  Jameson's  condition  only  became  worse, 
and  he  died  without  having  been  able  to  make  known  the  motive 
which  induced  him  to  descend  the  Congo. 

It  appears  from  the  researches  made  by  Mr.  Ward  among 
the  papers  of  the  deceased,  that  the  Expedition  could  only  be 
resumed  under  an  Arab  chief,  to  lead  the  Manyuema :  that 
there  were  only  three  men  capable  of  fulfilling  this  task,  viz., 
Easchid,  The  son  of  Tippu  Tib,  and  Tippu  Tib  himself.  The 
first  would  not  undertake  it,  the  second  was  absent,  and  Tippu 
Tib  demanded  £20,000  Avithout  any  guarantee,  and  not  includ- 
ing the  salary  of  the  men.  Mr.  Jameson  had  personalh^ 
guaranteed  this  sum,  and  went  to  Bangala  to  seek  Mr.  Ward 
and  the  remaining  despatches. 

The  letter  from  the  Eesident  at  Stanley  Falls  says  that  the 
motive  of  Mr.  Jameson's  descent  was  to  learn  the  contents 
of  the  despatches  of  the  Emin  Pasha  Eelief  Expedition,  of 
which  Mr.  Ward,  who  remained  by  order  at  Bangala.,  was  the 
bearer. 

The  papers  and  effects  of  Mr.  Jameson  liave  been  sealed  and 
an  inventory  made  by  Mr.  Ward  under  the  supervision  of  jMr. 
Dhamis,  to  be  forwarded  to  Mr.  Mackinuon.] 

Of  the  other  officers  connected  with  the  ill-fated  Eear 
Column  at  Yambuya,  I  have  never  yet  seen  Mr.  Eose  Troup, 
and  Mr,  Ward  I  saw  once  only,  and  for  a  very  few  minutes,  at 
Mswata,  near  Stanley  Pool.  Mr.  Bunny,  who  afterwards  joined 
us  at  Fort  Bodo,  must  have  had  an  extremely  difficult  time  of 
it  at  Banalya;  where  he  was  the  only  European  olficer  left,  and 


1889.]  MF   COMPANIONS.  511 

placed  under  the  most  trying  circumstances.  He  certainly  did 
very  good  work  for  the  Expedition,  by  waiting-  and  keeping 
the  remnant  of  the  Rear  Column  together  until  Mr.  Stanley's 
timely  arrival ;  when  only  seventy-seven  living  skeletons  re- 
mained out  of  176  Zanzibaris,  Nubians,  and  Somalis  ;  and  one 
European  out  of  five.  Mr.  Walker  and  Mr.  Ingram  were  only 
required  on  the  Congo. 

When  I  come  to  the  names  of  those  men  with  whom 
I  have  been  more  intimately  associated — for  a  longer  time 
and  through  darker  trials — I  may,  I  hope,  be  pardoned  if, 
in  bidding  them  farewell,  my  feelings  tend  to  bubble  over 
ii  little.  Of  the  three  officers  of  the  Expedition  who, 
besides  myself,  followed  our  leader  through  thick  and  thin 
across  the  African  Continent  from  the  start :  Mr.  Arthur 
Mounteney  Jephson,  Captain  Robert  Henry  Nelson,  and  Lieu- 
tenant William  Grant  Stairs,*  the  former  was  long  separated 
from  his  fellow-officers,  and  has  already  told  the  story  of  his 
ex})eriences  in  the  Province  of  Equatoria,  in  a  way  whicli  has 
enlisted  the  sympathies  of  the  English-speaking  world.  He 
was  known  to  his  brother  officers  as  a  genial  companion  ;  and, 
in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  energetic  and  thorough  to 
the  last  degree.  I  have  often  seen  Jephson  do  a  day's  march, 
entailing  heavy  work  and  a  great  deal  of  worry,  while  his 
temperature  during  the  whole  time  ranged  between  105^  and 
1UG°  F.  Nelson,  whose  trials  and  experiences  were  most 
intimately  associated  with  my  own,  suffered  far  more  than  anv 
of  us.  His  being  incapacitated  by  ulcers  and  debility  led  to 
his  being  left  behind  in  the  horrible  "  Starvation  Camp,"  the 
mention  of  whose  name  will  probably  always  send  a  thrill 
through  each  surviving  officer  of  the  Advance  Column  of  the 
Emin  Pasha  Relief  Expedition.  His  sufferings  at  Ipoto, 
while  he  had  not  a  bony  prominence,  on  which  he  could  sit  or 
lie,  that  was  not  occupied  by  a  bed-sore,  would  bear  com- 
parison, I  think,  with  those  of  many  famous  martyrs;  and 
were  certainly  borne  with  a  degree  of  moral  strength  and 
heroic  fortitude  which  I  never  expect  to  see  surpassed.  Stairs 
was  always  a  great  favourite  with  his  men ;  he  was  very 
determined  in  action,  but  prudent  and  cautious — beyond  his 
years;  a  true  and  kind-hearted  friend,  whose  memory  will 
always  be  dear  to  those  who  worked  with  him  in  the  dark 
*  Xow  Captain. 


512  EXPEEIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

hours  of  trouble.  He  did  a  great  deal  of  laborious  and 
anxious  work  during  the  fifteen  months  in  which  he  carried 
nearly  two  inches  of  arrow-head  imbedded  in  his  chest-wall. 
He  remained,  however,  fairly  strong  all  through,  except  in  his 
febrile  attacks,  which  Avere  numerous  and  rather  severe.  And, 
having  thus  dropped  a  few  concluding  remarks  about  each  of 
my  fellow-workers,  I  have  only,  in  saying  to  one  and  all  a 
long  good-bye,  to  add  the  heartfelt  wish  that  the  paths  of  life 
of  each,  however  widely  divergent  from  one  another  and  from 
mine,  may  be  strewn  with  the  rewards  which  we  hope  should 
accompany  the  thorough  performance  of  all  honourable  duty ; 
and  that  distance,  of  space  or  time,  Avill  never  alter  the  opinions 
and  feelings  which  we  have  hitlierto  held  of,  and  towards,  one 
another. 

In  saying  farewell  to  the  leader  whose  sagacious  forethought 
and  unflinching  determination  carried  us  through  a  series  of 
difficulties  which,  I  believe,  no  other  living  man  would  have 
been  able  to  battle  with  so  successfully,  feelings  of  a  still 
more  varied  character  are,  necessarily,  called  into  existence. 
The  diverging  criticisms  of  his  personality  and  of  his  leader- 
ship, to  which  the  public  have  been  so  unstintingly  treated^ 
make  an  estimate  of  Mr.  Stanley  a  very  bewildering  task 
without  the  opportunity  of  a  long  personal  experience.  His- 
terribly  direct  way  of  saying  what  he  means  usually  grates  at 
first  on  the  feelings  of  people  who  have  been  chiefly  accus- 
tomed to  the  polite  society  of  drawing-rooms.  The  fact  that 
he  never  gives  unqualified  praise,  and  that  he  frequently- 
commanded  almost  impossible  tasks,  the  performance  of  whicli 
had  to  be  undertaken  at  a  moment's  notice,  often  made  his- 
officers  regard  him  as  a  hard  •  taskmaster.  Yet  the  longer  we 
worked  with  him,  the  more  we  liked  him  ;  and  no  code  of  govern- 
ment regulations  or  of  army  discipline  could  have  made  both 
officers  and  men  treat  a  leader  with  greater  respect  and  con- 
fidence than  those  which  were  felt  by  all  of  us  towards  Henry 
M.  Stanley.  When  difficulties  and  hardships  came  thick  and 
iVist  upon  us  and  around  us,  there  was  something  a])proaching 
the  sublime  in  the  strength  with  which  the  iron  will  of  our 
leader  enabled  him  to  oppose,  and  in  the  readiness  of  resource 
with  which  he  was  so  frequently  able  to  overcome,  or  elude 
them.  Personally,  I  often,  in  the  earlier  months  of  our 
march,  thought  him  unsympathetically  reticent,  or  unreasonably 


1889.]  HOME  AGAIN.  513 

suspicious ;  yet  there  was  not  a  single  fault  which  I  was  dis- 
posed to  find  of  which  I  did  not  afterwards  see  ample  reason 
to  modify  my  opinion ;  or  which  did  not  seem  to  be  useful,  or 
even  necessary,  in  the  management  of  the  Expedition  which 
he  had  undertaken  to  lead  under  such  self-sacrificing  con- 
ditions. To  say  that  he  was  ever  needlessly  cruel  or  tyrannical 
is  absolutely  untrue :  the  beatings  inflicted  on  the  carriers 
which  have  furnished  so  much  material  for  comment  to  the 
Aborigines'  Protection  Society,  and  other  bodies  of  equal 
experience,  were  only  such  as  were  absolutely  necessary  to 
maintain  the  discipline  on  which  the  very  existence  of  the 
Expedition,  and  of  its  officers,  depended.  The  impulsive 
Zanzibaris,  on  feeling  tired,  have  a  terrible  penchant  for  de- 
sertion, taking  their  rifles  with  them,  especially  if  in  a  neigh- 
bourhood from  which  there  is  any  chance  of  escaping  home ; 
and  the  rigid  discipline  which  Mr.  Stanley  maintained  during 
the  earlier  part  of  our  march  across  the  continent  was  the  only 
safeguard  which  protected  the  Expedition  from  total  wreck, 
and  saved  the  white  officers  from  leaving  their  bones  bleaching 
under  the  African  sun.  As  Wellington  truly  said.  "  Punish- 
ment is  cruel — nothing  so  inhuman  as  impunity."  The  best, 
evidence  of  our  confidence  is,  I  think,  the  fact  that  he  is  the  one 
man  whom  his  former  officers  would  again  follow  in  such  an 
Expedition  ;  and  he  certainly  is  the  only  living  person  whom, 
after  our  previous  experience,  we  should  elect  to  lead  us.  To 
say  that  Mr.  Stanley  has  any  natural  inclination  to  treat  the 
native  African  cruelly  is  as  far  from  the  truth  as  any  statement 
that  could  well  be  made ;  on  the  contrary,  he  was  always 
inclined  to  favour  the  black  man  in  preference  to  the  white. 
Even  when  lying  on  the  brink  of  the  grave  at  Fort  Bodo — 
and  I  have  never  seen  anyone  recover  who  was  nearer  death — 
his  courage  never  failed  ;  and  the  small  incident  of  his  carry- 
ing the  five  bottles  of  champagne  all  the  way  to  the  Albert 
Nyauza  to  drink  Emin  Pasha's  health — without  letting  any 
one  know  of  their  existence  but  himself,  although  the  use  of 
them  for  his  own  case  might  have  been  the  means  of  rescuing 
him  from  the  jaws  of  death — forms,  I  think,  as  good  an  index 
to  the  character  of  our  chief  as  anything  in  his  history  with 
which  I  have  become  acquainted.  We  all  felt  that  with 
Mr.  Stanley's  qualities  the  success  which  has  attended  ]iis 
remarkable  career  in  life  was  reduced  to  a  necessity ;  and  the 

2  L 


514  EXPERIENCES  IN  EQUATORIAL   AFRICA.         [1889. 

closing  wish  of  this  volume,  which  records  my  experiences  of 
him  as  a  leader,  is  that  he  may  live  long  and  happily  to  enjoy 
and  increase  it. 

I  have  finished  my  story. 

We  left  in  high  spirits  for  the  homeward  journey,  in  which 
we  passed  through  Italy  and  France  to  receive  the  more  than 
princely  hospitality  of  Their  Majesties  the  King  and  Queen  of 
the  Belgians,  and  the  truly  cordial  welcome  of  the  whole 
Belgian  nation.  Starting  from  Cairo  on  the  7th  April,  1890, 
Mr.  Stanley  and  myself  (Nelson,  Stairs,  and  Jephson  having 
left  before  us  on  the  return  voyage)  proceeded  to  Alexandria, 
and  embarked  for  Brindisi  on  the  evening  of  the  same  day. 
A  large  and  enthusiastic  crowd  awaited  to  bid  us  "  God  speed," 
and  to  cheer  us  as  we  passed  along  :  nature .  smiled  on  us 
through  a  clear  and  perfectly  calm  atmosphere ;  and  wo 
waved,  as  we  moved  away  from  land,  a  farewell  salute  to 
the  shores  of  the  continent,  from  the  unexplored  interior  of 
which  each  one  of  us  had,  1  believe,  at  some  period  of  the 
Expedition,  lost  all  hope  of  returning. 

"  The  wurk  is  over,  the  sojourn  done. 
Fare  thee  well,  thou  land  of  the  Sun  !  " 


J  N  D  E  X. 


Abdullah,  Chief,  364. 

Abdul  Wahud  Effendi,  418,  453. 

Abed  Bia  Salim,  ivorv  hunter,  104, 
124,  155. 

Aborigines'  Protection  Societ3%  268, 
513. 

Abu  Klea,  machine  guns  at,  359,  360. 

Accidents ;  to  one  of  Tippu  Tib's  men, 
25-27,  33;  crushed  finger,  27; 
hatchet  wounds,  35,  64. 

Achmet  Bin  Sulieman,  436. 

Aden,  11-13  ;  the  Somalis  and,  40,  59. 

Advance,  the  steel-boat,  37,  43,  58, 
69,  75,  76,  78,  87,  103,  107,  113, 
116,  117,  119-121,  126,  127,  134, 
140,  192-194,  197,  210,  217,  218, 
223.       _. 

Aerohic  microbes,  171,  172. 

Alrica,  fever  in,  355-357,  366.  See 
also  Malarial  fever. 

A.I.A.,  S.S.,  363. 

Albuquerque,  s.s.,  31. 

Albert  Edward  Nyauza,  439-448, 
455. 

Albert  Nyanza,  Lake,  197  ;  start  for, 
207  ;  Emin  on,  213,  214  ;  croco- 
diles in,  218;  220,221;  the  Zanzi- 
baris  and,  253;  third  march  to, 
337-347  ;  425,  432  ;  water  of,  441. 

Alder.shot,  sunstroke  at,  33. 

Alexander  (interpreter),  68. 

Alexandria,  vii,  ix,  2-8. 

Alexandria  Nile,  457,  460,  461. 

Ali  Bin  Said,  354,  355,  447. 

All  Eflendi,  421,  423,  424. 

Ali  Nyadi,  436. 

Altamont,  Perim  Island,  11. 

Aniani,  boy,  237,  238. 

A^noiha,  the,  165-166,  231. 

Amputation  of  Mohammed  Doud's 
finger,  10-11  ;  Juma's  foot,  100- 
101,  501. 

Amur,  Slieban  Bin,  253. 

Anaerobic  microbes,  171. 


Ango-Ango,  32. 

Animalculx,  see  Microbes. 

Animal  life,  bacteria  and,  175-176. 

Ankori,  county  of,  448-460. 

Antari,  King,  449-451,  457-459. 

Antidotes  for  arrow  poison,  307,  313- 
315,  319. 

Ants,  an  army  of,  78,  98,  99,  155- 
156 ;  pounded  as  food,  155,  156, 
254,  324  ;  column  of,  187  ;  at  Fort 
Bodo,  254,  272,  279,  366,  367. 

Arabs  and  powerful  odours,  137. 

Arms;  spears  and  shields.  Upper 
Congo,  57,  63 ;  weapons  of  the 
Balegga,  219;  knife,  119;  tower 
muskets,  425,  451,  452  ;  arrows  in 
Toro  distvict,  447.  See  also  Arrou;s. 

Arnold's  "  Liiiht  of  Asia,"  151. 

Arrows,  poisoned,  73,  96,  97;  at 
Avisibba,  90-94;  iron,  210-211, 
219,  228,  237  ;  Baluzi  and,  248- 
249 ;  found  near  Fort  Bodo,  251, 
252,  281,  321,  339-343  ;  390,  391, 
433,  496;  extraction  of  arrow-head 
from  Lieut.  Stairs,  287,  292-297, 
500, 501 ;  preparation  of,  300-307  ; 
paper  on,  308-319. 

Aruwimi  River,  63,  64 ;  at  Yambuya, 
69  ;  we  follow  the,  76-116  ;  and 
Nepoko,  100 ;  and  Ituri,  116-117  ; 
fish  baskets  of,  326. 

Ascaris  lumbrico'ides,  271,  273. 

Asmani  (Zanzibari),  120,  267. 

Assad  Farran  (interpreter),  39,  361. 

Atoso  camp,  434. 

Avisibba,  fight  at,  90-94 ;  jwisoned 
arrows  at,  301,  313 ;  Stairs'  wound 
at,  500-501. 

Awash  Effendi,  418. 


Bacillus  anthracis,  the,  164. 
Bacillus,   microbes,    167,    169, 
174. 


2  L  2 


516 


INDEX. 


Bacillus,  the  **  comma  "  and  cholera, 
356-357. 

Bacteria  iu  rainwater,  385  ;  in  stag- 
nant water,  387. 

Bacteriolosy,  a  study  of,  161-179  ; 
231,  283. 

Baert,  Lieut.,  34,  57,  58. 

Bagamoyo,  503-506. 

Bakamugsar,  blood  brotherhood  be- 
tween Parke  and,  429-430. 

Baker,  Sir  Samuel,  and  Lake  Albert, 
425-426. 

Ealeiiga  tribe,  220. 

Baluk  (Manyuema),  369. 

Baluzi  wounded,  247-250. 

Balyozi  Chief,  104. 

Lanalya,  335,  339,  363,  364  ;  small- 
pox at,  489. 

Jianana  flour,  322. 

wine,  see  Pomle. 

Banana  Point,  31,  32. 

Bannnas,  89,  112-115,  237,248,251, 
266,  269,  277,  299,  321,  338,  340- 
343,  416,  433,  434,  459,  483-484. 

Bangala  Station,  57,  58,  362,  364. 

I'anza  Manteka,  35,  37. 

Baobab  tree,  483. 

Baptist  Missionaries,  at  Lutete,  42  ; 
at  Lukolela,  54,  56. 

Baraka,  Songora,  454. 

Bargash,  S.,  Sultan  of  Zanzibar,  108. 

Bari  tribe,  rain-makers  in,  221 ;  and 
syphilis,  401. 

Baittelot,  Major,  1-2,  11,  17,  33,  39  ; 
and  Uledi  41 ;  and  Soudanese,  43 ; 
and  s.s.  ktanhy,  45-46  ;  illness  of, 
48,  51 ;  on  Henry  Reed,  57-58 ; 
and  rear  column,  66;  arrival  nt 
Yambuya,  67-69  ;  good-bye  to, 
72;  numbeis  of  rear  column,  73; 
letters  to,  110;  335,  338,341 ;  and 
rear  column,  360-365  ;  509. 

Baniti,  Stanley's  boy,  13,  63,  65,  66. 

Basoko,  H3,  64,  66. 

Bavira  tribe,  216,  217. 

Beans,  brown,  118,486. 

Beatty,  Surgeon,  506. 

Beauchamp,  M.,  and  microbes,  168. 

Bembezi  Kiver,  35-36. 

Bercsford,  Lord  C,  viii,  ix,  359. 

Berkeley,  Miss,  and  African  fever, 
479,  480. 

Bernard,  Claude,  and  poisoned 
wounds,  295. 

Bcyts,  Mr.,  9. 

Bliaufi  (Indian  hemp),  106. 

Billroth  and  bacteria,  169,  178. 


Biogenesis,  the  doctrine  of,  164-166. 

"  Black  Eiver,"  56. 

Blood  brotherhood,  rite  of.  Stairs  and 
thechief  ofUpoto,60  ;  Jephson  and 
Mazamboni,  213  ;  Parke  and  Baka- 
muggar,  429-430;  Stanley  and 
Prince  Ankari,  459. 

Bolobo,  53,  495. 

Boma,  32. 

Bones,  bleached,  at  Lamu,  16-17. 

Bonny,  Wm.,  9,  14,  49,  53,  69,  241, 
335-339,  341,  343,  347 ;  account 
of  events  at  Yambuya  with  rear 
column,  360-365 ;  and  fever  attacks, 
415,  438,  446,  447,  455,  458,  460, 
461, 474 ;  at  Kavalli,  375 ;  429, 431,, 
510. 

Boots,  at  Fort  Bddo,  257,  330. 

Brackeiibury,  Capt.,  506. 

Brain,  concussion  of,  25,  27,  33;. 
compression  of,  120,  121. 

Rread-making  in  Equatoria,  413. 

Brehm,  Dr.,  504,  505. 

British  Medical  Association,  339,  340. 

Bronchial  affections,  30,  33. 

Bronchitis,  32,  34. 

"Bryce's  test"  for  vaccination,  29. 

"Bula  Matari"  (Mr.  Stanlev),  mean- 
ing of,  61. 

Bulemo-Riugi,  King,  447. 

Bundi,  camp  at,  221. 

Bunyambiri,  423. 

Burial  service  of  Zanzibaris,  31. 

Burial  custom,  of  Aruwimi  natives,. 
90;  in  African  fuiest,  307. 

Burroughs  and  Welcome's  tabloids,. 
202,  357-358. 


Cairo,  4-7,  507,  509,  514. 
Cameron,    Sir    Cha?.,     and     Mkiyo- 

water,  442-3. 
Camwood,  59. 

Candles,  manufacture  of,  417,  482. 
Cannibal  regions.   Upper  Con<io,  61; 

remains  of  a  —  banquet,  84  ;    the 

dwarfs  are,  187,  189,  268,  398. 
Cannon,  pieces  of,  at  Mombasa,  17. 
Canoes,  of  Upper  Congo  natives,  G3  ; 

of  natives  on   the   Aruwimi,   78, 

100  ;  paddl.s  of,  102. 
Tape  Town,  26,  27. 
Casati,   Capt..    216,-  223,   224,   374, 

390,396,404,416,431,453. 
Cassava,  379 ;  di  scription  of,  484-485.. 
Castor-oil  plant,  199-200. 
Cat,  the  holy,  at  Tel  Basta,  8. 


INDEX. 


517 


Cattle,  216,  217,  ;'.71,  ;}72,  377,  390, 
441,  443,  456. 

Cemetery  at  Banana  roiut,  31. 

Cereals,  486. 

Cerebral  disease,  59. 

Charlesworth,  Dr.,  506. 

Chikwrniga,  native  bread,  46,  75. 

Chills,  nocturmil,  in  Africa,  349-350, 
453,  457  ;  at  Ankori,  477. 

Cholera  in  Egypt,  viii,  356-357. 

Cisarettes,  General  Gordon  and,  390, 
'391. 

Circumcision ;  in  Africa,  257 ;  ]Mon- 
buttu  tribe  and,  400-401. 

Clarke,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  34. 

Cloth,  made  of  grass,  by  MHuyuema, 
157,  220  ;  cotton  cloth,  made  by 
Emin's  people,  2:^8 ;  in  Ankori,  451. 

Coccus  microbes,  167,  169. 

Coffee,  459. 

Cohn  and  microbes,  164. 

Condiment,  made  of  pounded  ants, 
155,  156,  254,  324. 

Congo-la-Lemba,  35. 

Congo  rivei",  31 ;  banks  of,  32  ;  first 
cataract  of,  43-44  ;  and  Kwa 
river,  51 ;  at  Bolobo,  54  ;  vegeta- 
tion on  banks  ol,  55  ;  junction  with 
Aruwimi,  63 ;  tributary  of,  56 ; 
natives  on  the,  and  transmission  of 
voice,  212 ;  Lower  — ,  charm  doctor 
in,  221  ;  fish  baskets  of,  326 ; 
waters  of,  386  ;  492-496. 

Congo  Free  State,  395 :  officials,  32, 
34,  44. 

Conjunctivitis,  280. 

Constantinople,  Emin  at,  382. 

Contract  of  engagement  for  PIP.E. 
Expedition,  6,  11. 

Cooking-pots  on  Aruwimi  lliver,  78. 

Corn  supply  at  Ipoto,  124-128,  140, 
158,  186,  196  ;  at  Fort  Bodo,  238, 
247,  255,  257,  263,  278,  290-29^ 
298-302,  329,  332,  371,  486. 

Crabs,  300. 

Cricket  match  at  Suez,  G, 

Crudeli,  T.,  and  bacillus,  231. 
Current  waters,  384-387. 

Customs  of  Natives,  Upper  Congo, 
55. 

Dancing  in  Africa,  234,  235 :  by 
Mazamboni's  men,  370;  by  Wa- 
huma  women,  406. 

Davaine,  and  microbes,  164. 

Deakes.  Mr.  474-476. 

Dean,  Mohammed  (Nubian)  353. 


Deanc,    engineer,    31,   and    Stanley 

Falls  Station,  67-68. 
Dessauer  Mr.,  39. 
Diarrhcca,   40;    microbes    and,    163, 

378. 
Disease,  causation  of,  161-179,  231. 
Disinfectants  on  board  s.s.  Madura, 

491. 
Doctor,  a  Manyuema,  187. 
Dogs,of  the  forest  natives, 297  ;  Stairs', 

303-307 ;  of  Wahuma  tribe,  375. 
Donkeys,  our,  36,  39,  41,  76,  77,  81 , 

85,  iOl,  107,  118,  122,  134,  13(1, 

139,  142,  186,  192,  280,  282,  4u9. 
Draughts,  Zanzibaris   and    game  of, 

327. 
Dress  of  women.  Upper  Congo,  67, 

61;  of  Manyuema  women,    344; 

of  Wahuma,  397. 
Drink,  sunstroke  and,  456. 
Drums  on  Aruwimi  River,  78. 
Durban,  23. 
Dwarfs,  method  of  marking  distance, 

119;    and  game   nets,  149,   251  ; 

measurements  of,  399;   habits  of, 

397-399,  402.     See  also  Washenzl. 
Dysentery,  cases  of,  24,  27,  29,  54, 

68,   86,   89,    98,    355,   358,   489, 

496. 
Dyspnoea,  248,  250. 

l^^DGINGTON  &  Co.,  340. 

Edwin-Arnold,  Mount,  451. 

Egypt,  cholera  in,  viii,  356,  357 ; 
"the  Nile  Expedition,  viii,  ix. 

Elephantiasis,  disease  of,  58. 

Elephant  trap,  398.  See  also 
Zoology. 

Emin  Pasha,  or  "Malleju,"  2;  ^Mr. 
Stanley's  plans  re  relief  of,  Wi  ; 
no  news  of,  191 ;  letter,  215,  216 ; 
arrival  of,  at  our  camp,  223-233  ; 
house  for,  ar  Fort  Bodo,  277,  284 ; 
delay  of,  347;  letters   from,  369, 

370:  's  daughter,  see  Ferida  ; 

at  Kavalli,  377-408;  and  General 
Gordon,  390,  391 ;  illness  of,  397, 
446, 451,  453, 458  ;  weight  of,  396  ; 
and  measurement  of  pigmies,  398- 
399  ;  Stanley  and,  402-405,  439  ; 
people,  406;  and  the  sick,  415, 
416 ;  accident  at  Bagamoyo,  503- 
506. 

Emin  Pasha  Belief  Expedition,  con- 
tract of  engagement  for,  6,  11 ; 
strength  of,  19  ;  "  General  Orders  " 
for  members  of,  20,  21  ;  advance 


518 


INDEX. 


<;uard   of,    71  ;  goods  of  —  left  at 

Yambuya    with    Major    Bartellot, 

244,     245 ;    European     provisions 

taken   from    Yambuya,   269-270; 

au;es  of   oificers    and    men,    302 ; 

weapons   of,   360 ;   tents   of,    340, 

341. 
En  Avant,  s.s.,  58. 
Encephalitis,  27,  ;!o. 
Entomology :       Butterflies,       Upper 

Congo,  62. 
Entozoa  (worms),  224,  225,  271.  See 

also  Guinea  worm. 
Equator  Station,  56. 
Erysipelas,  184,  193. 
Etlmological  curios  on  the  Aruwimi 

banks,  78. 
Exhaustion,  deaths  from,  57. 

Eadel  (Nubian),  268. 

Earigi,  Khamis,  264. 

Farming  operations  at  Fort  Bodo, 
319,  321. 

Farragalah  (boy),  435. 

Fathel  Mohainmeii,  58. 

Fathel  Mullah,  391,  469. 

Fathel  Wadi  Hadi,  252. 

Faught,  Surgeon-Gen.,  26. 

Features  of  natives,  near  Y'ambuya, 
82. 

Femoral  artery,  man  wounded 
through,  80,  81. 

Ferida,  Emin's  daughter,  374,  378 ; 
Mohammed  Effendi's  wife  and,  399- 
400,  505. 

Ferns,  forest  of  tree,  220. 

Ferragi  (Zanzibar!),  280. 

Feruzi  Ali,  88,  119-121,  488. 

Fetteh,  interpreter,  210,  211,  213, 
236  237,  267.  370. 

Fever,  cases  of,  52,  64,  76,  198,  205, 
207,  220,  225,  230,  238,  249,  255, 
263,  268,  274,  280,  282,  283,  321, 
;!29,  352,  354,  365,  378,  379,  382, 
391,  401,  414,  445-448,  450-453, 
458,  460,  461,  476,  482,  499,  506- 
508. 

Firth,  Surgeon-Major,  508. 

Fish,  mode  of  catching  in  Aruwimi, 
101 ;  Stairs  and,  118 ;  phosphor- 
escence of,  179 :  at  Fort  Bodo, 
L'57,  270,  271,  285,  289,  291,  325, 
326,  368,  467,  486. 

Florida,  s.s.,  67. 

Flying  Fish,  the,  15. 

Ft)iests  of  tlie  Lower  Congo,  36  ;  the 
Great  Central  African,  from  Yam- 


buya to  Avisibba,  73-96  ;  effect  of 
traversing,  101;  an  utter  wilder- 
ness, 114-115 ;  a  clearing,  152, 
192,  248;  end  of,  194,  195; 
gymnastics  in,  209 ;  natives  of, 
and  transmission  of  voice,  211, 
212  ;  fruit  and  beans,  486 ;  497- 
503. 

Fort  Bodo,  191,  195-198,  203,  207, 
238-239,  243,  249;  life  at,  250- 
337;  farming  at,  319,  321; 
position  of,  329  ;  Stanley  arrives 
at,  334-337. 

Foxes  in  Egypt,  3. 

France  and  Perim  Island,  11. 

Francqui,  M.,  39. 

Frencli  mission  at  Kwamouth,  50 : 
at  Bukombi,  474,  475  ;  in  Africa, 
482. 

Fruits  in  forest,  118,  122,  4i-6. 

Fundi  Said,  457. 

Game  pits  in  the  forest,  75,  94,  397- 

398;    net  near   Fort   Bodo,   251; 

397. 
Gastro-intestinal  catarrh,  54,  88,  349, 

355-357,  493. 
Gavira,  Chief,  see  Mpinga. 
( lemmation  of  bacterium,  173. 
Geologists  and  Aden,  13. 
Germany  and  Bagamoyo,  475,  476. 
Giglier  Pasha,  8,  9. 
Glave,  Mr.,  56. 
Goats,   87,   88,   93,   105,   131,   154, 

155,  158,  189,  193,  196,  343. 
Golgi  and  microbes,  231. 
Gordon,    General,   relief  of,   vii,  ix, 

120,  212,    290,   360,   365;  Emin 

and,     390,  391,  456. 
Grant,  465,  466. 
Grape,  the,  microbes  and,  171. 
Grass  fire,  near  Upoto,  62. 
cloth    made    bv    Manyuema, 

157,  220. 
Guardafui  Cape,  14. 
Guinea  worms,  241,  242,  271,  272, 

330,  331. 
(Jvnmastics  in  the  forest,  209;  feat 

"by  an  elephant,  322. 

Uaik,  dressing  of  men.  Upper  Congo, 
50-51 ;  lack  of,  on  faces  of  natives, 
411. 

Halford  and  arrow  poisons,  296 

Hanamri  (boy),  262. 

llari  (Zanzibari),  348,  357,  411,  437, 
463. 


INDEX. 


519 


Hassan,  Vita,  374. 

Hassan  (Somali  boy),  87. 

Hassan-Bakari,  387. 

Hassan  Sadallah  (Zaiizibari),  358, 
360. 

Hassani  Ccook),  290. 

Hawish  Effendi,  227,  228. 

Health  in  the  Tropics,  rules  for  the 
preservation  of,  15. 

Heat  apoplexy,  30,  31. 

Heister  and  arrow  poisons,  295. 

Helouan,  cholera  cases  at,  356-357. 

Henrij  Reed,  s.s.,  44,  49,  53-60,  67- 
69,  495-496. 

Herodotus  and  the  Mountains  of  the 
Moon,  396,  427. 

Heron,  s.s.,  32. 

Hillalah,  boy,  236. 

Hippos,  47,  52,  54,  62,  66,  88,  102, 
113. 

Hoffmann  and  bacteria,  169. 

Holmes,  Mr.  E.  M.,  and  arrow  poison 
of  the  Pigmies,  307,  316-319; 
and  description  of  manioc,  484, 
485. 

Holmwood,  Mr.,  17. 

Honey  in  tJsambiro,473. 

Hornets'  nests,  81,  99,  123,  237,  498, 
499 

Human  form  and  bncieria,  the,  175- 
176. 

Hunt  Club  at  Alexandria,  the,  3-4. 

Hussey,  Dr.  18,  29,  490. 

Huts,  native,  in  Yambuya,  65 ;  on 
Aruwimi,  79 ;  near  Panga  Falls, 
88  ;  attempt  to  burn  our,  at  Ipoto, 
135-136  ;  at  Kandekore,  348 ;  of 
Unyoro,  432;  near  Albert  Ed- 
ward Lake,  443,  445  ;  in  the  forest, 
498. 

Ibrahim  Effendi,  409, 410,  421-424, 
454. 

Ibrahim  Telbass,  453. 

Ibwiri,  country  of  195. 

Idols  on  the  Congo  River,  61 ;  ab- 
sence of,  221,  267. 

Ihuru  River,  116,  336. 

Ingham,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  34-35. 

Ingram,  Mr.,  335,  510. 

Inkissi  River,  42,  43. 

Inoculation,  Prof  Touissant  and,  177, 
178. 

Insects ;  at  Ipoto,  139 ;  pediculus 
vestimenti,  139 ;  baked  as  food,  see 
Condiment;  flies  at  Fort  Bodo, 
273  ;  rats,  208,  257,  272,  279 ;  flies 


and  ulcers,  352;  the  Pasha  and,  388; 

459,   486;     mosquitoes,   217-219, 

229.        See      also.     Ants,     Ticks, 

Jiggers,  &c. 
'•  Intellii^ence  department  "  of  natives 

of  the  African  forest,  77,  78,  211, 

212. 
Ipoto,  Arab  settlement  of,  116,  123- 

124,  160  ;  experiences  at,  128-159, 

179-193,  488,  511;    summary  of 

our  food  at,  288. 
Irangara  Island,  443. 
Irebu  village,  56. 
Ismailia,  8. 
Ismailia,  Chief,  at   Ipoto,    124-159, 

179-193  ;  243,  288,  502. 
Itch,  389. 
Ituri  River,  116,  117,  209-210,  236, 

237  :  fish  baskets  of,  326 ;  336, 340, 

345,  354. 
Ivory;  caravans,  42;  war-horn>  254. 
trade.  Upper  Congo,  56  ;  tusks 

of,  86 ;  in  Africa,  139. 
Ivory  hunters  at  Ipoto,  137, 141,  151, 

187,  188,  371,  372. 

Jameson,  J.  S.,  11,  17,  29,  32,  45, 
54,  57,  59,  66-72,  335,  341 ;  and 
rear  column,  360-365;  394,  507, 
509,  510. 

Jephsou,  A.  J.  M.,  9,  17,  24,  41,  4  i ; 
illness  of,  49,  56,  59, 64, 75, 81, 123, 
134,  205,  209,  227,  415,  424-438, 
446, 451 ;  and  Zanzibaris,  55  ;  and 
the  Advance,  69,  210,  217  ;  the 
march  from  Yambuya  to  Avisibba, 
72-90, 94-96  ;  the  march  from  Avi- 
sibba to  Ugarrowwa's  camp,  97- 
109  ;  the  march  from  Ugarrowwa's 
to  Ipoto,  112-128;  and  relief  of 
Nelson,  129,  133,  488;  at  Fort 
Bodo,  191, 195-198 ;  and  Mr.  Stan- 
ley's illness,  200-204;  blood 
brotherhood  with  Mazaraboni,  213  ; 
letter  from,  222 ;  arrival  of  223- 
224  :  to  accompany  Emin,  227  ; 
good-bye  to,  232,  233,  239  ;  287  ; 
delay  of,  297,  332,  347;  letters 
from,  369,  370;  at  Kavalli,  374, 
382, 390-410 ;  weight  of,  396  ;  431 ; 
aud  Rehani,  419,  420;  at  Kafurro, 
465;  conclusion,  510-512. 

Jigj;ers,  45,  84,  500. 

Jumba,  Ali,  237,  251,  252,  262, 265- 
267,  320,  501. 

Junker,  Dr.,  8,  9,  11 ;  and  Nepoko 
River,  100. 


520 


INDEX. 


Kabba  Eega,  King,  213,  214,  216, 

226,  371,  375,  425,  426 ;  see  also 

Wara  tiura. 
Kafurra,  465,  466. 
Kajumba's  country.  472. 
Kambola,  under  cbief,  188. 
Kamaroni  (Zanzibar!),  181,  182. 
Kandekore,  camp  at  345-370. 
Karagwe,  449,  450,  461,  466. 
Karema,  King,  452,  453, 
Kasongo,  Tippu  Tib  at,  361. 
Kassai  Elver,  50,  495. 
Kassasura,  King,  472. 
Katari  settlement,  448. 
Katonza,  Chief,  418,  426. 
Katto,  Chief,  370. 
Katwe  settlement,  440-442. 
Kavalli,  Chief,  and  village,  215,  216, 

219,  221,  234,  373-408,  410,  420. 
Khamis   (Zanzibari),   38,  115,   246, 

247;  Unyamwezi,  435,  436. 
Khamisi,   Chief,  at   Ipoto,  124-159, 
^ 189-189,  243 
Khartoum,  ix,  10. 
Khedive,  s.s.  227,  230,  231. 
Khedive's  Orders,  the,  226. 
Khedivial  Club,  Alexandria,  2-3,  7. 
Kibamwanga,  40. 
Kibbo-bora,   Chief,   343-345 ;  wives 

of,  462,  463. 
Kibori  (Nelson's  boy),  257. 
Kiengo,  465,  4C6. 
Kilimaui,  194,  241,  247. 
Kilonga  Longa,  Chiet,  155-159,  179, 

181-190,  192,  242-244;  men   of, 

423,  426,  435,  436. 
Kiryuama,  426. 
Kites,  226,  388. 
Kltbs  and  bacteria,  169,  231. 
Koch,  Prof.,  and  diseases  of  bacterial 

origin,  175. 
Korbash,  the,  382. 
Kwamouth,  50,  58. 
Kwa  River,  50,  51. 
Kwilu  lliver,  37,  38. 

Lake  Siioke  Camp,  377,  380. 

i.amu,  16,  17. 

Langunge  near  Yambnya,  82. 

Latrine  for  men  at  Fort  Bodo,  272. 

Latsche,  Dr.,  505. 

Laveran  and  bacilli,  231. 

Lawson  Mount,  451. 

Leaves    of    various    plants    forming 

Mloga,  486,  487. 
Leeuwenhoek,  Dutch  naturalist,  and 

microbes,  162-163, 


Lenda  River,  112,  114,  131 
Leopold,  King,  and  Tippu  Tib,  20, 

68;  and  Emin,  395 ;  welcome  by, 

514. 
Leopoldville,  44,  493-494. 
Leucocytes,  the,  177. 
Lewis,  Surgeon,  C.B.,  viii. 
Liebrichts,  Lieut.,  45,  493. 
Linant,  Lieut.,  57,  58. 
Linnaeus  and  microbes,  163. 
Littre,  M.,  and  microbes,  164. 
Locusts,  322,  327-328. 
Longoli  camp,  246, 
Lukolela  Mis-iou  Station,  54,  55, 
Lukungu  Station,  39,  40, 
Lumani  River,  361. 
Lunionzo  River,  37. 
Lutete,  41,  42 
Lymphatics,    inflammation    of    the, 

262. 

Mabambi,  Chief,  160. 

Mabanti,  247. 

Mabruki,  death  of,  for  deserting.  111  ; 

Zanzibari,  150. 
Mabruki,  Wadi,  222,  226,  229,  236. 
Mahumja  fiuit,  121-122,  486. 
Mace  and  microbes,  231. 
Machonga,  or  wooden  sjiikes,  74,  80, 

496,  497. 
Mackay's  Mission,  453,  470,  473-470, 

481. 
Mackenzie,  Mr.,  of  Zanzibar,  18,  285. 
Madura,   s.s.,    17,   19;     rations    on 

board,  23  ;    sickness,  &c,,  on,  489- 

491. 
Mahdi  carriers,  desertion  of,  232-239  ; 

and  guinea-worms,  271,  272,  330- 

331  ;  at  Kandekore,  346,  355. 
Makabolo,  Chief,  at  Ipoto,  158. 
Malafu  (banana  wine),  235,    See  also 

Pomhe. 
Malarial    fevers,  73,  470-481,  506- 

508.     See  also  Fever. 
Malleju,  see  Emin  Fasha. 
Malonga,  370. 

Mand(^  Hill,  237  ;  Camp,  345. 
Mangola  River,  36. 
Manioc,  47 ;  at  Yambuya,  66,  74,  75, 

379-380  ;  description  of,  481-485, 

490. 
Manyuema     (ivory    hunters),    from 

Lenda  River,  114;  at  Ipoto,  124- 

159,  183-193,  242-244 ;  and  grass 

cloth,    157,   220;    and    Bartellot, 

364;    carriers,  340,  344;   women, 

344  ;  at  Kandekore,  346-350,  360, 


INDEX. 


>21 


368;    at  Kavalli,  379;    mou  and 

women,   463.      See  also  Kilomja 

Longa,  Ugarrowim,  &c. 
Marco,  merchant,  37-i,  375. 
Marsh-miasm,  40. 
Marzouki  (cook),  300. 
Massage,   practised    by   Mauyuema, 

188  ;  Zauzibaris  and,  351. 
Massoudi,  Zauzibari,  236. 
MassQwah,  the  Italians  at,  12. 
Mataddi,  32-34,  492-493. 
Matako  (brass  rods),  50,  51,  52. 
Maxim  gun,  our,  110,  359,  459. 
Mazamboni,   Chit^",   213,    234,   235, 

370-372,  396,  410,  416,  422,  423. 
Mbaruku  (Zanzibar!),  95,  121,  209. 
Mhona,  leaves  of  pepper  plant,  &c., 

140,  142,  186,  255,  256,  333,  426  ; 

486-487. 
Meat  of  E.P.K.  Expedition,  486. 
Medicine-man  at  Ipoto,  the,  187-188. 
Melindwa's  country,  418. 
Merure  Lake,  464. 
Met^mmeh,  ix,  10,  456. 
Meteorology.     Rain  in  Red  Sea,  11, 

14 ;  heavy  rains,  37,  38,  79-81, 84- 

86,  96,  99,  107,  108, 123, 142, 151, 

184,  192,  205,  206,  209,  221,  240, 

V52,  267,  270,  276,  292,  331,  366, 

416,   417,  431;    fog,    102;    hail, 

321 ;  a  cold  day  in  Africa,  467. 
Microbes,  a  study  of,  161-179,  231. 
Milk,  microbes  and,  179. 
Mimosa  bush,  228. 
Miquel,  M.,  and  miciubes,  171. 
Mirambo,  King,  473. 
Missionaries,  at  Mombasa,  17. 
Mission    Stations    at   Msalala,   470, 

474_i76  :  English,  in  Africa,  482. 

See  also  French  mission  stations. 
:\Ikiyo,  Lake  of,  440-44.".. 
Mohambey  Station,  8. 
Mohammed  (servant),  7-8  :  (Nubian), 

268,  269. 
Mohammed  Doud,  10-11,  18. 
Mohammed   Effendi,    wife   of,    399- 

400,  505. 
Mohammedans,  the  Somalis  are,  12. 
Mohoga,  see  Manioc. 
Mombasa,  17. 
Monbuttu    tribe   (not    the   dwarfs), 

396  ;  and  circumcision,  400-401. 
Moon,  Manyuema  and  the  new,  185. 
Morabo  (Zanzibar!),  119,  213. 
Morrison,  Dr.,  of  Suez,  9. 
Mountains  of  the  Moon,   217,   220, 

233,  396.     See  also  Ruuenzori. 


Mpinga,  Chief,  215,  217,  234,   235, 

372,  394,  409,  410. 
Mpoko  River,  40-41 ;  village  of,  46. 
Mposo,  34  ;  river,  34. 
Mrima,  suicide  of,  376. 
Msalala,  470-476. 
Msongari  (Zanzibari),  280-282. 
Mswa  Station,  222,  223,  233,  369, 

370. 
Mswata,  village  of,  47-50. 
Mtagata,  hot  springs  at,  461-462. 
Muero  Lake,  466. 
Muftah  (boy),  140,  243,  257,  277, 

283,  285,  286,  290-292,  297,  325- 

327,  414,  433,  438,  439,  497,  503. 
Mugwye's  village,  86-89. 
Muiui  I'embi  (Zanzibari),  130,  144. 
Muini  Soumai,  363. 
MUUer,  and  microbes,  163. 
Murabo,  429. 
Musical  instruments  of  the  Balegga, 

219,  220. 
Muta     Nzige     Lake,       see     Albert 

Xyanza. 
Mvvanga,  King,  452. 

Nageli  and  microbes,  164,  178. 

Native  market,  near  Lutete,  42. 

Natives  near  Muswye's,  84. 

Natives  of  the  Plains,  weapons,  &c., 
of,  219. 

Navarino,  s.s.,  9,  12. 

Negro,  the  typical,  10,  12. 

Nelson,  Captain,  9,  14,  17,  40  ;  down 
with  fever,  43,  49,  54,  82,  148, 
153-5,  161,  205,  255,  268,  292, 
297,  359,  37b,  415,  446,  458;  ill 
with  ulcers,  112,  142;  with  ad- 
vance guard,  72, 77,  79,  87-89,  91 ; 
tight  at  Avisibba,  91-94 ;  lost  in 
the  forest,  95-96  ;  the  march  from 
Avisibba  toUgarrowwa's  camp,  97- 
110,  114 ;  starvation  camp,  116- 
117,  502;  relief  of,  128-133 ;  ex- 
periences at  Ijwto,  135-159,  179- 

193,  488;    weight  of,    150,   154, 
i       276,  327,  396,  417 ;  and  causation 

of  disease,  161-162  ;  at  Fort  Bode, 

194,  207,  238-239,  249, 253  ;  298- 
338  ;  as  cook,  339 ;  at  Kandekore, 
346-370;  at  Kavalli,  377,  381, 
383-410;  and  Rehan,  418-420; 
and  Semliki  River,  427-432  ;  456 ; 
conclusion,  510-512. 

Nepoko  River,  100. 
NeAv  Caled'inia,  poisoned  arrows   in, 
296. 


522 


INDEX. 


Ngah'enia,  Chief,  44. 

Ncrombe,  55. 

Nieman,  K.A.,  s.s.,  31. 

Nile  Expedition,  the,  viii-ix,  120, 
212;  cooks  in  Camel  Corps,  401- 
402  ;  and  fever  in,  456 ;  waters  of 
Eiver,  386. 

Mkilama,  43. 

Nubiambari  (Zanzibar!),  228,  229. 

Nubian  soldiers,  our,  9,  11,  19,  20  ; 
contrast  with  the  Somalis,  12  ; 
vaccination  of,  13;  and  smalliiox, 
23,  28;  and  rations,  39;  68,  80, 
86;  a— wounded,  342-343;  377, 
381, 452,  495,  501. 

Nutritive  comforts  taken  from  Yam- 
buya,  206. 

Nyama-Gazani,  camp  at,  441. 

Nyany;in,  42. 

Nyanza,  s.s.,  227,  231. 

Odours,  Aralis  and  powerful,  137;  of 
African  tribes,  Emin  and,  409. 

Omar,  Zanzibar!  chief,  102,  458. 

Omar,  Nubian  chief,  406-407. 

O'Nial,  Surgeon-General,  4,  5. 

Ophthalmia';  459-461,  482. 

Orchids,  59,  60. 

Orchilla  weed,  59. 

"Orders"  issued  by  ]Mr.  Stanley,  20- 
21,  29. 

Oriental,  s.s.,  11,  17,  489. 

Ornaments,  &c..  Upper  Congo,  61 ;  of 
Wahuma  tribe,  375. 

Ornithology,  the  Pasha  and,  388 ; 
pigeons,  47  ;  partridges,  17  ;  birds 
of  Upper  Congo,  62 ;  fowls  in 
Africa,  80,  83, 90, 101, 180 ;  Avater- 
Jowl,  83  ;  hornbdl,  84 ;  doves,  85, 
255;  laurie  bird,  85;  guinea  fowl, 
113,  218,  371 ;  hawk,  140  ;  a  bird 
that  worries  cattle,  216,  217;  stork, 
300,  444;  plover,  300;  weaver 
bird,  328 ;  herons,  ducks,  &c.,  444. 

Osmani  (Zanzibari),  142 ;  Wadi,  246, 
247  ;  (boy),  325. 

Ovum,  the,  165-166. 

Oyster  shells  at  Upoto,  61. 

Palabai.la,  34-35. 

Panga  Falls,  87. 

Papyrus,  442,  455,  461. 

Pare,  A.,  and  arrow  poisons,  295. 

Pari,  Chief  Harais,  266,  282-283. 

Parke,  Dr.  T.  H.,  experiences  in  Egypt 
and  with  the  Nile  Expedition, 
see  Introduction  ;  appointed  Medi- 


cal Officer  to  E.P.P.  Expedition, 
2-8;  at  Suez,  9;  and  Mohammed 
Doud,  10-11;  vaccination  df  the 
members  of  Expedition,  13-17,  22- 
29  ;  reading  the  sextant,  14  ;  rules 
for  the  preservation  of  health,  15, 
16  ;  introduced  to  Tippu  Tib,  18  ; 
at  Zanzibar,  17-19  ;  servants,  22  ; 
baggage,  30,  34;  at  the  Kwilu 
Kiver,  37-38  ;  and  loss  of  rifles,  40  ; 
disaster  at  Mpoko  River,  41 ;  and 
medicines,  42 ;  down  with  fever, 
43-46,  48,  51,  52,  64,  73, 117, 118, 
227,  230,  235,  270,  280,  290,  329, 
352-354,  414,  438,  451,  457,  466, 
506-509  ;  and  s.s.  Stanley,  45 ;  on 
board  JJenry  Reed,  53,  54,  56 ;  at 
Yarnbuya,  65-73  ;  march  through 
the  forest  from  Yambuya  to  Avi- 
sibba,  74-90  ;  fight  at  Avisibba, 
91-94 ;  lost  iu  the  forest,  95-96  ; 
the  march  from  Avisibba  to  Ugar- 
rowwa's  camp,  97-109  ;  the  march 
from  Ugarrowwa's  to  Ipoto,  112- 
124 ;  experiences  at  Ipoto,  128- 
159,  179-193.  488;  watch  pre- 
sented by  Mr.  Stanley,  129, 
502,  503;  letters  from  Stanley, 
130-131  ;  letter  to  Stanley,  135  ; 
weight  of,  150,  276,  327,  396, 
417  ;  illness  of,  J  53-155,  161  ;  and 
bacteriology,  161-179 ;  at  Fort 
Bodo,  194-207  ;  and  Mr.  Stanley's 
illness,  198-209;  and  castor  oil 
plant,  199-200  :  and  Emin  Pasha, 
222,  225 ;  and  thought  reading, 
227  ;  return  to  Fort  Bodo,  232- 
239  ;  return  to  Ipoto,  240-244 ; 
Mr.  Stanley's  entry  in  note-book, 
244-6 ;  and  piamy  woman,  243, 
247,  248,  276,  277,  284,  2rf7-292, 

*  300-307,  313,  323-325,  365,  398, 
409,  446,  463-4;  life  at  Fort  Bodo, 
249-337  ;  and  arrow  poison  of  the 
pigmies,  308-319  ;  and  Stairs'  dog, 
303-307;  at  Kandekore,  346-370; 
and  cholera  in  Egypt,  356-357 ; 
at  Kavalli,  373-408 ;  and  measure- 
ment of  pigmies,  398-9  ;  and  Mr. 
Stanley's  illness,  411-417  :  and 
Rehan,  418-420;  and  blood  brother- 
hood with  Bakamuggar,  429,  430  ; 
purchases  from  Mr.  Mackay,  481 ; 
and  accident  to  Emin,  504-506  ; 
conclusion,  509-514. 

Parker,  Bisho]),  476. 

Paronychia,  255. 


INDEX. 


523 


Pasteur,  ^I.,  anil   microbeH,  171,  178, 

385. 
Peace,  mission   steamer,  4'1,  49,  5-1- 

63,  65,  68. 
Peas,  onions,  beans,   &c.,   262,    278, 

284,  297,  300. 
Pe|>per-pods,  263. 
I'erim  Island,  11. 
Peritonitis,  34. 
Phagocytes,  176. 
Phrijnium  ramosissimum,  434. 
Pi-zinie;;,  the   arrow   poison  of,  308- 

319.     See  also  Washenzi. 
Pineapples,  52. 
Pisgah,  Mount,  209,  210,  345  ;  hostile 

natives  near,  210-213. 
Pistia  stratiotes,  326,  368. 
Plant,  a,  to  keep  off  mosquitoes,  218. 
Plant,  leaves  of  a,  and  narcotic  effect 

on  tish,  325,  326. 
,  s^ilt   extracted   from    a   water, 

326,  368. 
Plantains,  64,  96,  98,  104,  106  ;  113, 

195,  196,  483-484  ;  flour,  109. 
Pneumonia  cases,  22, 29,  34, 432, 445. 

489. 
Poison    f)r    arrows,   preparation    of, 

300-307  ;  paper  on, 308-319. 
Poisoned  wounds,   M.  Pochard  and, 

294-296. 
Pombe  (oanana  wine),  332,  433,  439, 

470. 
Ponta  da  Lenha,  31,  32. 
Port  Elizabeth,  24. 
Potato,  varieties  of,  291,  486. 
"  Puteen,"  manufactured  by   Emin's 

people,  232,  376,  388,  389. 
Presents,  African  chiefs  and,  57,  138, 
Preservation  of  health  in  the  tropics, 

rules  for  the,  15. 
Provisions,     European,     486,     499 ; 

taken    from    Yambuya,    269-270, 

339;  supi^lied  us  at  Ipoto.  288. 
Ptomaines,  174,  177,  231. 
Pumpkins,  at  Fort   Bodo,  273,  278, 

284  ;  water  melons,  275,  434. 


Painmaker,  the,  in  Africa,  221,  267. 
Rain-water,  384,  385. 
Ramadan,  fast  of,  55,  56,  238. 
Randy,  Mr.  Stanley's  fox  terrier,  27, 

113. 
Rashid,   Chief,    116,   127,  369,  370, 

471. 
Ras  Siifsafeh,  9. 
Rear  column,  letters   to,   197,  232  ; 


wreck  of,  335-339  ;  Bonny's  ac- 
count of,  360-367. 

Red  Sea,  11,  14. 

Rehan  (Zanzibar!),  119,  183  ;  execu- 
tion of,  418-420. 

Rejaf  Station,  369. 

Reproduction  of  bacterium,  the,  173, 

Heptiles,  486  ;  crocndiles,  54,  88,  218, 
237,  298  ;  snake  at  Fort  Bodo,  276. 

Piice  crop  at  Fort  Bodo,  322,  327-328. 

Richalmaii,  Captain,  505. 

Richards,  Mr.  and  Mrs.,  37. 

Roads  at  Fort  Bodo,  196  ;  near  Lake 
Albert,  232. 

Robin,  Chas.,  and  microbes,  164. 

Pochard,  M.,  and  wounds,  291-296. 

Royle,  Mr.  Chas.,  9. 

Rnanda  territory,  449,  470. 

Kukoki  River,  444. 

Rushdi  Effendi,  440. 

Ruta  Nzige  Lake,  see  Albert  Ed- 
■ward  Nyanza. 

Ruwenzori,  395,  396,  417,  423,  427, 
432,  433,  439.  See  also  Moun- 
tains of  the  Moon. 

Rwizi  River,  455. 


Saadi  (Zanzibari),  107. 

Saat  Tato,  the  hunter,  96,  222,  226, 

229,  429. 
Sadi,  Manyuema  chief,  405. 
Sali,  boy,  201,  397. 
Salim,    Tiupu   Tib's    brother-in-law, 

38,  490.* 
Salt,   210 ;    extracted  from  a  water 

plant,  326,  368  ;  in  Lake  Mkiyo, 

440-443. 
Sandals  of  Manyuema,  186, 187. 
Sanford  expedition,  49,  56. 
Sangarameni,  Chief,   at  Ipoto,  124- 

159,  180-189,  243. 
Sanitation,  natives  on  the   Aruwimi 

banks  and,  76-77. 
Saraboko  (Zanzibari),  149. 
Schmidt  Herr,  505. 
Sedillot  and  microbes,  164. 
Segmentation  of  bacterium,  the,  173. 
Selira  Bey,  392,  420. 
Semliki  River,  220,424.  426  :  valley, 

427  ;  crossing  the,  429-431. 
Serj^a  Pinto,  s.s.,  31. 
Sesame  oil,  378. 
Sextant,  reading  the,  14. 
Sexton,  Dr.  W.  H.,  grave  of,  31. 
Shaban  Majera,  472. 
Shark,  16. 


524 


JXDEX. 


Shaik's  Point,  32. 

Shepherd,  Capt.,  10,  17. 

Sherif,  boy,  140,140,152,  170,  leo, 
243. 

Shukri  Agha,  302,  410,  421,  425. 

8huniari,  Bin,  263. 

Simon's  Bay,  25. 

Slave  trade  in  Africa,  139. 

Slippers  made  by  Emin's  people, 
225. 

Small,  Dr.,  37,  42. 

Smallpox  on  board  the  Oriental, 
13-18,  23,  489. 

Smith,  Mr.  B.,  of  the  Eastern  Tele- 
graph Co.,  7. 

Smith,  Sir  Chas.  Euan,  470,  506. 

Somalis,  om-  contingent  of,  2,  13; 
compared  to  the  Nubians,  12  ;  and 
smallpox,  23,  28  ;  and  swimming, 
38 ;  down  with  fever,  40 ;  57,  50, 
71,  72  ;  of  rear  column,  364,  452, 
404,  405,  501,  502. 

Sorcery  in  Africa,  470,  471. 

Soudanese,  the,  19-20,  38,  41,  42, 
43,  47,  57,  50,  71-72,  89,  346, 
304. 

Spear  wounds,  68,  80,  126,  156. 

Speke,  465,  466. 

Spirillum,  microbes,  167,  100. 

Sporulation  of  bacterium,  173. 

Springs,  hot,  417,  438 ;  at  Mtagata, 
461-462. 

Stagnant  waters,  384-387. 

Stairs,  Lieut.,  0,  14,  15,  17,  33, 
62,  87;  and  Zanzibaris,  55;  blood 
brotherhood  at  Upoto,  60 ;  from 
Yambuya  to  Avisibba,  60-00; 
woxmded  at  Avisibba,  01-94;  con- 
<lition  of,  08,  103 ;  the  march  from 
Ugarrowwa's  to  Ipoto,  112-120; 
arrival  at  Ipoto,  100-103,  488;  the 
march  to  Fort  Bodo,  103-107, 
206,  238,  230 ;  life  at  Fort  Bodw, 
240-337;  weight  of,  276,  327; 
down  with  fever,  280,  328,  320, 
427-437,  452,  401,  406,  406  ; 
extraction  of  the  arrow-head  from, 
287,  202-209,  500,  501  ;  doo-, 
303-307;  and  the  true  north,  329; 
at  Kandekore,  346-370;  at  Ka- 
valli,  378,  383,  390-408,  416 ;  and 
liehan,  418,  420;  and  Kuwenzori, 
438-439,  456;  conclusion,  51(- 
512. 

Stanley,  H.  M.,  ix ;  and  Somalis, 
2.;  enga^ies  Surgeon  Parke  iw 
belief  Expedition,   3-7 ;  and    the 


first  Irishman  to  cross  Africa,  8; 
at  Suez,  0;  at  Zanzibar,  17; 
"  General  Orders  "  issued  by,  20, 
21;  ill  with  cramp,  &c.,  36;  en- 
forces a  stricter  d  scipline,  38,  30 ; 
on  board  the  Peace,  5U-54;  mean- 
ing of  "  Bula  Matari,"  61 ;  jilans 
of,  re  Emin's  relief,  60,  70 ;  the 
march  from  Yambuya  to  Avisibba, 
71-00;  at  Avisibba,  01-95;  the 
march  from  Avisibba  to  U«;ar- 
i-owwa's  Camp,  90-111 ;  illness  of, 
104,  105,  127,  at  Fort  Bodo,  198- 
209 ;  411-417,  424,  428,  430,  431, 
434,  437,  440,  447,  461,  464 ;  from 
Ugarrowwa's  to  Ipoto,  113-127 ; 
ngreement  with  the  Manyuema 
at  Ipoto,  128,  120,  138,  130,  183; 
letters  to  Dr.  Parke,  130,  131,  145  ; 
letter  to  Jephson,  134;  at  Fort 
Bodo,  101,  105-108;  and  Zanzi- 
baris, 211 ;  Emin's  letter  to,  216  ; 
and  Emin,  224,  439 ;  return  to 
Fort  Bodo,  231-239,  334-340; 
return  to  Ipoto,  240-246;  waiting 
for,  200,  332;  Starvation  Catup, 
345;  third  march  to  Lake  Albert, 
347,  news  from  Jephson,  369, 
371;  at  Kavalli,  373-408;  weight  of 
396,  417 ;  and  Mohammed  Elleiidi, 
399,400;  i^ehan,  418-420;  blood 
brotherhood  with  Prince  of  Aiikori, 
450;  and  jiresentation  of  watch 
to  Dr.  Paike,  502-503;  and  Dr. 
Parke's  illness,  506 ;  conclusion, 
512-514. 

Stanleij,  s.s.,  44,  45,  49-56,  65-08, 
244,  330,  362. 

Stanley  Falls  Station,  Tippu  Tib  and, 
67-68,  301,  304;  Kilonga  Longa 
and,  183. 

.Stanley  Poo),  30:  fever  at,  480;  the 
march  to,  403. 

Staphylococcus,  microbes,  100. 

Starvation  Camp,  Nelson's,  117,  511, 
No.  2,  110  ;  Stanley's,  345. 

Starvation,  deaths  from,  130,  158, 
185,  358. 

Stationary  waters,  384-387. 

Stephenson,  Gen.  Sir  Fred.,  4,  5. 

Streptococcus  microbes,  169. 

Suakim,  11. 

Sub-acute  Liastritis,  Mr.  Stanlev  and, 
108-200,  411-417. 

Suez,  8-1 L 

Suez  Canal,  Aden  and  the,  13. 

Suliman  Eifendi,  470. 


INDKX. 


525 


Summary  of  Dr.  Parke's  professional 

experiences,  487-504. 
Sunstroke,  33,  58, 196,  197,  455, 457, 

477,  489,  496. 
Superstition  in  Africa,  301,  470,471. 
Synovitis,  Zanzibaris  and,  351. 
Syphilis,  401. 

Tabloid  system  of  medicines,  357, 
358. 

Txnia  mediocanellata,  271. 

Tamarind  trees,  218. 

Teeth  of  Zanzibaris,  275,  491. 

Tel  Basta,  near  Zagazig,  8. 

Temperature,  29,  30,  32,  34,  and  bac- 
teria, 172-173  ;  at  Fort  Bodo,  299  ; 
456. 

Tents  of  expedition,  340,  341. 

Tetanus,  deiths  from,  97,  98,  99, 
296,  301,  304,  501. 

'  The  Times '  of  April  27,  1886,  216. 

Thought  reading  experiments,  227. 

'I'huret  and  microbes,  163-164. 

Ticks,  84,  88,  126,  186,  499,  500. 

Tippu  Tib,  introduction  to,  18 ;  and 
followers,  19-21,  38;  and  harem, 
53,  54,  56,  58  ;  and  carriers,  66, 
360-365;  and  Stanley  Falls  Sta- 
tion, 67  ;  raid  of  people,  74  ;  and 
foUcvvers  on  board  s.s.  Madura, 
490-491;  on  board  Henry  Reed, 
494-496. 

Tobacco  cultivation,  50,  106,  151, 
210,  255,  258,  262,  348. 

Tornado,  in  the  forest,  79 ;  at  Ipoto, 
142,  158 ;  at  Fort  Bodo,  263,  366. 

Toro  Hills,  443-448. 

Touissant,  Prof.,  and  microbes,  177- 
178. 

Trap  for  elephants,  dwarfs',  398. 

Trees  in  the  Central  African  forest, 
75,  76. 

Troup,  Mr.  J.  R.,  69,  241,  335,  361- 

365,  510. 
Tun-dish,  a,  83. 

Uganda,  insurrection  in,  404,  405, 
452,  453. 

Ugarrowvva,  Chief,  103,  104;  and 
men,  106  ;  visit  to  camp  of,  108- 
109  ;  sick  left  with,  110  ;  sends  us 
tliree  deserters.  111 ;  work  of  de- 
solation, 112  ;  197,  238,  501,  502. 

Uhopo,  426. 

Ulcers, 22,  60,  88,  100,  112, 113, 139, 
160,  185,  196,  207-209,  238,  243, 


256.  262,  300,  331,  336,  344,  347, 

349-355,  369,  389,  390,  502. 
Uledi,  Chief,  31,  41,  127,  130,  131, 

137,  192,  193,  230,  236,  349,  358, 

429. 
Uledi  Saadi,  435. 
Ulya  (Zanzibari).  390. 
Umari,   Chief,    116,   181-184,    189, 

382. 
Unyampaka,  443,  447. 
Qnyoro,  King  of,  see  Kabha  Bega. 
Upoto,  60,  61. 
Uransja  village,  56. 
Urigi;  Lak?,  467. 
Usambiro,  472,  474,  481. 
Usinde  village,  55. 
Usougora,  443 ;  Lake,  417. 
Usui,  King  of,  472. 
Usukuma,  473. 

Vaccination  of  all  tlie  memlers  ot 

the  expedition,  13-17,  22-29,  489- 

490. 
Van  Gele,  Capt.,  56. 
Vegetable  forms,  microbes  and,  164. 
Venomous  wounds,  Pochard  and,  294. 
Vermin,  at  Ipoto,  126,  146,  151,  219. 

See  also  Insects. 
Victoria  Nyanzn,  470-475. 
Villages  on  banks  of  Aruwimi,  83. 
Village,  new,  at  Ipoto,  152-153. 
Virulent  wounds,  M.  Rochaid   and, 

294. 
Vise,  Lieut.  Howard,  81. 
Vivisection,  Stair's  do'i,  effect  df  arrow 

poison  on,  304-307. 
Vombo,  39. 


Waganda,  449,  452. 

Wahuma  tril)e,  216,  217,  220,  374, 

375,  3b3  ;  dress  of,  397  ;  dress   of 

women,  406  ;  giudes,  445. 
Wakefield,  Rev.  Mr.,  17. 
AValker,  Mr.,  26,  31, 32,  49,  335, 510. 
Wambutli  (d  war  Is),   wives   of,    323. 

See  Washenzi. 
Wanyamwezi,  458,  473. 
Wara  Sura,  Kabba  Resa's  men,  213, 

214,  428-430,  434, 440,  443-448. 
Ward,  Mr.,  49,  50,  53,  69,  241,  335, 

361-365,  510. 
Waregga  tribe,  383. 
War  office,  the,  4. 
Washenzi,  the,  139, 145, 146  ;  village 

of,  195;  and  castor  oil  plant,  199; 

near   Fort   Bodo,    251,   252,   268, 


520 


INDEX. 


269 ;  camping-ground  of,  321,  322  ; 

measurement  of,  397-399,  402. 
Wasongora,  the,  and  bananas,  300 ; 

wives  of,  323. 
Water-supply  at  Kavalli,  378,  383. 
Waters,  division   of  difterent,  384- 

387,  499. 
Water-tanks  at  Aden,  13. 
Wedding  festival  in  Equatoria,  a,  401. 
Windermere,  Lake,  464,  465. 
Wissman,  Major,  603. 
Wood,  iron  wood,  48. 
Wooden  rest   for    neck   of  natives, 

Upper  Congo,  51, 
spikes  of  natives,  74, 80, 496, 

497. 
button   in    lips    of    Bavira 

women,  388. 
Worms,  tape  and   round,   224-225, 

271  ;    in  a  fish,   285.      See   also 

Entozoa. 
Wounds,  division  of,  294-296. 

Yakouti  (Zauzibari),  334. 

Yambuya,  64-72 ;  rear  column  at, 
73,  335-341;  list  of  nutritive  com- 
forts taken  from,  206  ;  return  to, 
238-241,  244 ;  goods  left  at,  with 
Major  Bartellot,  244-245;  pro- 
visions taken  from,  269-270; 
Benny's  account  of  rear  column 
at,  360-367 ;  deaths  at,  379-380 ; 
Stairs  at,  496. 

"Yellow  bellies"  (Emin's  people), 
401,  454. 

Yusuf  Effendi,  410,  446. 

Zagazig,  8. 

Zanzibar,  17-19  ;  Sultan  of,  285. 
Zanzibaris,  our,  10,  19-20,  44  ;  and 
small-pox,    23-24,  28;    and  the 


invalids,  33  ;  and  swimming,  38  ; 
and  Soudanese,  42 ;  and  Lower 
Congo,  47  ;  and  Stairs,  55  ;  food 
of,  56,  59  ;  advance  guard,  71-72  ; 
mode  of  carrying  loads,  73  ;  deser- 
tions of,  82,  105,  108 ;  and  fowls, 
83-84  ;  without  food,  85  ;  murder 
of  a,  90 ;  and  the  wet  weather,  96  ; 
excuses  of,  97  ;  strange  beiiaviour 
of,  99-100 ;  wt.rk  of,  102-103  ;  a 
fact,  114 ;  recklfssuess  of,  115  ; 
a  —  chief,  127  ;  and  relief  of  Nel- 
son, 129,  133  ;  at  Ipoto,  136,  140, 
156,  157,  181-183,  188,  189,  197  ; 
lack  of  trood-nature  among,  185- 
186,236-237,354;  and  castor-oil 
plant,  199-200  ;  at  Fort  Bodo,  203, 
204  ;  and  Emin's  arrival,  223 ; 
looiing  cf,  228,  229  ;  and  walking, 
234;  at  Fort  Bodo,  251-327;  <.f 
rear  column,  335-339,  360-367; 
dirty  habits  of,  343,  345,  350  ;  at 
Kandekore,  346-350 ;  and  medi- 
cine, 369;  at  Kavalli,  375-396; 
and  cooking,  402  ;  Omar  and,  407  ; 
and  Wara  Sura,  430 ;  and  Queen 
Victoria,  432 ;  455,  457,  460,  469, 
487-489,  493  ;  and  manioc,  494  ; 
and  food,  500;  501-503,  512. 
Zoology  :  —  Gazelle,  17  ;  elephants, 
41-42,  47,  51,  54,  62,  83,  86,  112, 

113,  117, 118,  121,  152,  218,  240, 
254,  276,  284,  291,  298,  305,  320, 
328,  330,  445,  495  :  antelopes,  41, 

114,  218,  226,  444;  buffalo,  47, 
54,  218,  226,  368 ;  monkeys,  59, 
62, 292  ;  lemur,  149  :  kudu,  a,  222 ; 
springboks,  222 ;  sheep,  237,  262  ; 
cows,  237;  pig,  260;  leopard,  368; 
hyamas,  417,  420  ;  girafles,  444  ; 
rhinoceros,  462  ;  zebra,  472. 


